U.S. Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, invited Rick Perry, President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee to head the Department of Energy, to visit the University of Maine to view energy initiatives the university is collaborating on with the federal government.
“Our university has a relationship to the Department of Energy labs, particularly Oak Ridge,” King told Perry during Thursday’s hearing before the Energy and Natural Resources Committee. “(The University of Maine) is an amazing engineering school and engineering facility – offshore wind, testing facility, nanotechnology, 3-D printing, and I think you would find it very illuminating, so I would love to have you come up. If you want to come in more like June or July rather than February, I’ll accept that.”
Perry said, “Yes, sir. I’ll be there, senator.”
As part of the Economic Development Assistance Team originally requested by King and Republican Maine Sen. Susan Collins to support the state’s forest products industry, the energy department and Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee have collaborated with UMaine to develop bio-based materials for use in additive manufacturing, composites and biofuels. UMaine and the department have also partnered on other initiatives, including the New England Aqua Ventus I offshore wind pilot project.
King also pressed Perry to make low energy prices a priority, and warned against increasing U.S. exports of liquefied natural gas.
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