Energy Secretary Rick Perry said Wednesday global efforts to shift away from fossil fuels were “immoral,” threatening economic developments in poorer nations.
“Look those people in the eyes that are starving and tell them you can’t have electricity,” he said. “Because as a society we decided fossil fuels were bad. I think that is immoral.”
The comments followed a sprawling speech at the CERAWeek by IHS Markit energy conference in which Perry declared the United States has entered an age of a new “energy realism,” in which the country would increasingly supply the world with oil and gas, coal, wind and other forms of energy.
But the topic hung over his speech. He cited the decline in U.S. carbon emission between 2005 and 2014, largely attributed to the power sector’s shift from coal to natural gas and renewables.
“The lesson’s ‘clear we don’t have to choose between growing the economy and caring for the environment,” Perry said.
Since taking office last year, Perry has promoted an “all of the above” energy strategy towards lowering energy costs and growing the U.S. economy – a script he largely stuck to Wednesday.
In September he proposed the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission increase rates for coal and nuclear power plants that have shuttered at a fast clip in recent years. Commissioners ultimately rejected the proposal earlier this year Republicans and Democrats criticized the plan as a government giveaway promoted by coal magnate Robert Murray, CEO of Murray Energy.
Then in the Energy Department’s 2019 budget request, Perry proposed scientists begin design on new high efficiency coal plants, while slashing funding for carbon capture research and development.
Carbon capture, through which carbon dioxide is stripped from emissions before the greenhouse gas is released into the atmosphere, is believed to be critical in the fight against climate change, but remains too expensive for commercial deployment. The captured carbon is stored underground or used in industrial processes, including oil production
“You don’t necessarily have to have more in a line item. I’m a believer you need to be more efficient,” Perry said when asked about the carbon capture budget at the Energy Department.
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