QUIGLEY STATEMENT ON NOMINATION OF RICK PERRY FOR ENERGY SECRETARY

WASHINGTON – (RealEstateRama) — U.S. Representative Mike Quigley (IL-05), a member of the Sustainable Energy & Environment Coalition, released the following statement on the announcement that Former Governor of Texas Rick Perry will be President-Elect Trump’s nominee for Secretary of the Department of Energy:

I am deeply disappointed and concerned that President-Elect Trump has selected Former Texas Governor Rick Perry to lead the Department of Energy. In addition to having almost no relevant experience to prepare him to oversee a department charged with shaping the way we power our society moving forward, Perry once vowed to completely eliminate the vital cabinet department he is now being tapped to head. The Governor cannot be trusted or expected to effectively lead an agency that he doesn’t believe should even exist.

Under President Obama, the Department of Energy has been led by two distinguished physicists who have helped guide advanced scientific and technological innovation and catalyze the proliferation of clean and renewable energy. By contrast, Perry has repeatedly questioned the settled science of climate change and championed the oil industry during his time as Governor of the state with the most renewable power in the country. Perry now hopes to lead an agency charged with regulating nuclear technology and running hundreds of research institutions and laboratories across the country despite having accused scientists of manipulating data to secure more funding for their work.

I am a strong believer in the mission of the Department of Energy and grateful for the life-changing inventions and innovations that have occurred under its guidance. The Department of Energy is vital in our efforts to support a robust and sustainable clean energy economy, and I will fight to ensure that the agency is able to continue its good work and stay true to its duties, regardless of its leadership.

Source: U.S. Representative Mike Quigley