U.S. Energy Secretary Rick Perry has announced that he will dedicate his term of office to building the energy future by concentrating on nuclear, coal and gas. His beliefs in these energy sources are based on the same unproven theories as those of U.S. President Donald Trump and his Administration.

During the recent Future of Energy Summit, U.S. Energy Secretary Rick Perry gave an insight into the plans he has made for his term of office.

No energy background

Rick Perry holds a degree in animal science and was the governor of Texas prior to becoming U.S. Energy Secretary. Unlike his predecessors, Nobel Prize-winning physicist Steven Chu and chemical engineer Samuel Bodman, he has no energy background and proves on many occasions that his knowledge of the current climate situation is limited and outdated. Many of the statements he has made repeat the opinions stated by the Trump Administration, such as the claim that Germany’s coal use and emissions have risen due to their shift to renewables.

Outdated plans for the future

Perry’s plans for the American energy future are precise and will have climate experts holding their breath. He intends to switch back to coal as a main energy source and is already approving facilities to liquefy and export natural gas. He has also announced that he will fight to bring back domestic nuclear power, regardless of the pledges of several states, such as California and New York, to double down on their leadership in reducing carbon emissions and moving to a grid based on renewable energy, demand-side solutions and energy storage. Contradictory to these energy plans, he claimed that the government wishes to let the market decide which energy source is that of choice.

There is a reason for the change in direction – Perry admitted that the government intends to support the nuclear weapons industry with these actions. He reasoned that, “As we have not built nuclear plants over a 30-year time, the intellectual capability, the manufacturing capability, I will not say has been completely lost, but has been impacted in a major way. In doing so, the development of our weapons side, has been impacted.”

Repetition of unproven theories

Meanwhile, Perry is holding on to the same scientifically unproven theories the Trump Administration has been defending. Among them is the idea that baseload power is necessary for a reliable electricity system, and to state that he will use the power of the federal government to ensure that baseload plants are not driven off the grid. Perry and his Republican party are aware that this strategy might interfere with state and local governments. While the party has previously said that this was to be avoided by all means, they seem not hesitant to go down that road if necessary.

Source: pv-magazine