Which is not the most awful of picks, if only because Energy isn't as critical a post as, say, State or Justice. Still, in areas of fossil fuel use and climate change research, there's plenty of damage Perry can (and likely will) do.
The irony here is that (a) Perry once vowed to abolish the agency if he became President, and (b) this is the agency he famously forgot the name of during a presidential debate.
Perry's focus on oil and gas (oh, look, another one) means that what the DoE has been doing around renewable energy sources is likely to get short shrift. His position on climate change is also not encouraging (deriding "the secular carbon cult").
Indeed, his whole stance on science is … deplorable, especially since the DoE runs energy labs across the nation. As he's put it, "I think there are a substantial number of scientists who have manipulated data so that they will have dollars rolling into their projects." That coming in conjunction with a witch hunt-style survey sent to DoE leadership by the Trump transition team bodes poorly.
Other miscellany: homophobe, death penalty enthusiast, gun rights activist (A+ from the NRA), and a Dancing with the Stars contestant. None of those are likely to play a major role in his new post, but it's worth mentioning.
He previously denounced his new boss as a "barking carnival act." But, hey, when there's a cabinet post involved, who's going to object at the smell of the greasepaint?
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Other references:
– https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rick_Perry
– http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/trump-picks-energy-department-opponent-rick-perry-energy-secretary-sources-n695241
– http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/310111-trump-taps-rick-perry-to-lead-energy-department
Trump taps former Texas Gov. Rick Perry to head Energy Department he once vowed to abolish
As a presidential candidate, Perry once vowed to eliminate the Energy Department.
#FakePresident #FakeCabinet
+Pool Man Sadly, all too real.
Oops.
Umm…
Except the main function of the DoE is the building, refurbishing and maintenance of of the us nuclear arsenal.
+Stan Pedzick That's where a lot of its focus is.
But it also does regulations on appliances for energy efficiency (which will probably be relaxed), does loan guarantees for energy related projects (which will probably go to "clean coal" and other fossil fuel efforts), deals with nuclear waste disposal (Yucca Flats is back on the table), and, as part of the nuclear arsenal bits, runs the national labs like Los Alamos and Lawrence Livermore and Oak Ridge which have done some energy-related climate change work.
'Its responsibilities include the nation's nuclear weapons program, nuclear reactor production for the United States Navy, energy conservation, energy-related research, radioactive waste disposal, and domestic energy production. It also directs research in genomics; the Human Genome Project originated in a DOE initiative.[3] DOE sponsors more research in the physical sciences than any other U.S. federal agency, the majority of which is conducted through its system of National Laboratories.'
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Department_of_Energy]
And 'To fight climate change, the Energy Department supports research and innovation that makes fossil energy technologies cleaner and less harmful to the people and the environment. We’re taking responsible steps to cut carbon pollution, develop domestic renewable energy production and win the global race for clean energy innovation. We’re also working to dramatically increase the efficiency of appliances, homes, businesses and vehicles — all in support of the President’s Climate Action Plan.' [http://www.energy.gov/science-innovation/climate-change]