Perry Touts '24-7' Power, Oil Pipelines as Key to Energy Security

June 20, 2017

Energy Secretary Rick Perry on Tuesday touted the Trump administration's plan to pursue an "all of the above" energy strategy, even while cutting federal funding for energy programs by 30 percent.

In the first of his three Capitol Hill hearings this week to defend the White House budget plan, Perry also made clear that the administration's vision is to keep coal plants running and build oil pipelines. He portrayed both as key to energy security.

"This isn't my first rodeo," Perry said, referring to his 14-year stint as governor of Texas. He said he had to manage tight budgets there. "I'll do the same when faced with limited resources here."

Overall, the Energy Department would only see a 6 percent budget cut, to $28 billion. But the White House proposes to shift the agency's priorities dramatically - increasing spending on managing the nation's nuclear weapons stockpile while deeply reducing investment in clean energy research.

Read more on Inside Climate News...