A Less-Than-Stellar Performance from our Lone Star Energy Secretary
Given the Trump Administration’s daily distractions, the American public may have forgotten that a climate-denier who pledged to eliminate the Department of Energy during his unsuccessful 2011 presidential campaign currently runs the Department of Energy. Throughout his career, former Dancing With the Stars contestant Rick Perry has utilized his platform to promote a pro-fossil fuel agenda in the name of job growth. As governor of Texas, Perry expanded the production of oil and natural gas, arguing that doing so would decrease “America’s dependence on hostile sources of foreign energy”. While American dependence on foreign sources of energy has diminished, we cannot continue to invest in unsustainable sources of energy. With rumors of Perry’s potential resignation from the Department of Energy swirling, Americans must evaluate the Secretary of Energy’s current role in our government, and consider what that role could become under a real climate leader.
The Secretary of Energy is meant to support the agency’s mission of “ensur[ing] America’s security and prosperity by addressing its energy, environmental and nuclear challenges through transformative science and technology solutions.” For example, the role holds the power to promote research concerning renewable energy and efficiency. Instead, Secretary Perry’s tenure proves that the disbelief in human-driven climate change is more powerful than any fringe conspiracy theory should have become.
Perry’s familiarity with the energy sector stems from his time as governor of Texas. When he decided not to seek a fourth term in 2014, he left behind a complicated energy legacy, as both fossil fuel and wind production had expanded dramatically during his tenure.
Most notably, Perry increased the state’s reliance on fossil fuels. Between 2000 and 2015, natural gas production in Texas rose 42%, while oil production rose 280%. Additionally, hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drillings increased tremendously in South Texas: the megalithic fracking project in Eagle Ford Shale, which is visible from space, began in 2008. Additionally, Perry signed a bill that saved drillers billions of dollars in avoided payments, by, of course, giving them a permanent tax break for “high cost” natural gas.
Perry also advocated for the expansion of the Texas coal industry during his time as governor, even while other states had stopped permitting new coal plants due to pollution concerns. Instead, Perry signed an executive order in 2005 that would have rapidly approved the permits for 11 coal plants. Thankfully, this plan failed.
While Perry did push for the expansion of fossil fuels within the state, he also bolstered Texas’ growing wind power sector. Wind farms only generated approximately 116 megawatts of capacity on the state’s main electric grid in 2000, but during Perry’s time in office, that number increased to 11,000 megawatts. While part of that can be attributed to technological and broader economic changes, Perry himself directly influenced the increase by signing legislation in 2005 that required an increase in the state of Texas’ renewable energy capacity by 5,880 megawatts by 2015. This number was greatly surpassed by the time he left office.
The catch is that job growth, not environmental concerns, motivated Perry’s investment in wind power. Former Texas energy regulator Barry Smitherman stated that “for us, wind development in Texas was never about climate change—it was about economic development and diversifying our portfolio.” Short-term job growth continues to be Perry’s primary motivator as Secretary of Energy—given his disregard for the environment and the Trump Administration’s pro-fossil fuel stance, Perry’s policies will have frightening long-term consequences on our economy, our health, and our planet.
The Department of Energy is a bit of a Frankenstein’s monster, cobbled together from existing agencies in 1977. As a result, its budget consists of four main categories: the nuclear arsenal, nuclear waste, research, and typical energy programs. Approximately $2.5 billion dollars is allocated to promoting “America’s energy dominance through technologies that will make our energy supply more affordable, reliable, and efficient.” If the Secretary makes the decision to focus their efforts on the expansion of renewable energy and efficiency, they can enact a great deal of positive change.
Of course, Secretary Perry has not done so. DOE's Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy recently received criticism for a high amount of staff vacancies, demonstrating his clear disregard toward the global climate crisis. Additionally, Perry’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy has failed to meet more than a dozen Congressional deadlines for efficiency standards on a variety of household items, amounting to a gross negligence of his constitutional duties. It is absolutely unacceptable that the Department of Energy has ignored such vacancies and deadlines; this apathy stems from Perry’s disinterested leadership.
The Secretary of Energy has the power to reduce America’s use of fossil fuels and promote sustainable solutions to the climate crisis. Past secretaries, such as President Obama’s appointee, American physicist Steven Chu, have actually upheld the Department’s mission of ensuring American “security and prosperity by addressing its energy, environmental and nuclear challenges through transformative science and technology solutions.”
Secretary Perry has not. The bottom line is that we are collectively vulnerable to climate change, and Perry has not offered viable solutions—he has failed to protect us from existential environmental threats. The Department of Energy has the tools to combat our global climate crisis. We need a Secretary who will invest in resources and incentivize research to expand the American renewable energy market. Should Secretary Perry retire, we must demand his successor uphold the Department’s mission. Or, at a bare minimum, we must demand that the next Secretary believe in climate science.