Rick Perry just might remember he wants to abolish the Department of Energy once he's running it

What fresh hell awaits us this morning? Glad you asked.

Donald Trump will nominate former Texas Gov. Rick Perry to head the Department of Energy, according to multiple reports.

That means Perry, a climate denier who sits on the board of the parent company of Dakota Access LLC, which is behind the Dakota Access pipeline, will lead the federal agency tasked with energy innovation and security.

And keeping with the trend of Trump nominating people to his cabinet who are openly hostile to the responsibilities of the agencies they’ve been chosen to oversee, Perry wants to abolish the Department of Energy.

If only he could remember that when asked about it in high-pressure environments!

Back in 2011, then-presidential candidate Perry said in a Republican debate that, once elected, he would quickly abolish three federal agencies.

Here’s that debate exchange again, as transcribed by the Huffington Post:

PERRY: I will tell you, it is three agencies of government when I get there that are gone. Commerce, Education, and the—What’s the third one there? Let’s see.

(LAUGHTER)

RON PAUL: Five.

PERRY: Five. Okay. Commerce, Education, and the—

[UNKNOWN]: EPA?

PERRY: EPA. There you go.

Q: Seriously—is EPA one you are talking about?

PERRY: No, sir, no, sir. We are talking about the—agencies of government—EPA needs to be rebuilt.

Q: You can’t—you can’t name the third one?

PERRY: The third agency of government I would—I would do away with Education, the—

Q: Commerce.

PERRY: Commerce and, let’s see. I can’t. The third one, I can’t. Sorry. Oops.