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Wednesday, June 14th, 2017

Energy Secretary Perry Pulls a U-Turn on Climate

Author:     Umair Irfan
Source:     Scientific American
Publication Date:     June 13, 2017
 Link: Energy Secretary Perry Pulls a U-Turn on Climate
Stephan:   Every day brings yet another story of how the Trump administration and the Republican congress, through their energy and climate change positions are condemning  America to be unprepared for what climate change is bringing. For me this is not a political issue. It is a moral issue and it can continue only because over a third of Americans either don't care or think what the Republicans are doing is right. That these people will be amongst those who will suffer the most gives me no comfort. But it does tell me that the 2018 election is going to determine the fate of the nation.

Credit: sportsblogs.star-telegram.com

Energy Secretary Rick Perry entrenched himself as an opponent of the Paris climate agreement yesterday, reversing his earlier position.

At a White House Cabinet meeting, Perry told President Trump that he defended the United States’ withdrawal from the global accord while meeting with energy ministers last week in China and Japan.

“They needed to hear why America was stepping away from the Paris accord, and they did,” Perry said. “And how America is not stepping back, but we’re stepping into place and sending some messages.”

Before Trump’s decision to quit the accord earlier this month, Perry said it would be better to stay in.

“I’m not going to tell the president of the United States to walk away from the Paris accord,” Perry said at Bloomberg New Energy Finance’s Future of Energy Summit in New York City in April. “I think we probably need to renegotiate it.”

Perry’s acquiescence to Trump is part of a trend. Since his confirmation hearing in January, Perry pledged support for many initiatives at DOE, but has also lauded White House budget proposals that slash these programs (Climatewire, May 31).

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