During a primary debate for the 2012 presidential election, then Texas Governor Rick Perry made a big mistake. When asked to name the three federal agencies he said he wanted to eliminate if elected, he could only think of two on the spot. President-elect Donald Trump has now chosen Rick Perry to run the agency Perry couldn’t remember that day: the Department of Energy.
The three-term governor will take over an office that in recent years has been run by people with science backgrounds. Upon Senate confirmation, Perry will oversee an anticipated effort to cut research and development funding for renewable energy technology in favor of fossil fuels. Perry is on the board of Energy Transfer Partners, a pipeline company whose subsidiary is behind the controversial Dakota Access Pipeline.
Perry has repeatedly rejected the conclusions of climate science over the years, even claiming that scientists have manipulated data to create the appearance of warming. But while he was kind to the Texas petroleum industry, he also oversaw a wind energy explosion in his state. Texas produces more wind energy than any other state, with farmers and ranchers taking advantage of wind turbine leases to add another source of income.
The Department of Energy also runs a series of national laboratories, oversees the country’s nuclear weapons and manages aspects of nuclear energy technology, including waste treatment.