Legislative Letters

Re: Oppose Governor Rick Perry for Secretary of Energy

Feb 15, 2017

Dear Senator:

On behalf of our millions of members, the League of Conservation Voters (LCV) works to turn environmental values into national, state, and local priorities.  Each year, LCV publishes the National Environmental Scorecard, which details the voting records of members of Congress on environmental legislation.  The Scorecard is distributed to LCV members, concerned voters nationwide, and the media. 

We urge you to oppose the nomination of Governor Rick Perry for Secretary of Energy.  Perry has continually denied the science of climate change and is unqualified to serve as Secretary of Energy. In fact, it is inconceivable that he is being asked to run the very agency he once irresponsibly said should be abolished.  

The Department of Energy’s mission is “to ensure America’s security and prosperity by addressing its energy, environmental and nuclear challenges through transformative science and technology solutions.” With climate change threatening the environment, economy and public health, our nation needs a Secretary of Energy who recognizes the urgency to act and believes in the underlying science.

As Governor of Texas, Perry appointed climate science denier Bryan Shaw as Chair of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ), which has been shown to have censored mentions of climate change from at least one official report. Perry unsuccessfully sought to fast-track permit applications for new coal power plants and repeatedly sued the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) over Clean Air Act enforcement and proposed limits on carbon pollution.

Perry’s record of putting fossil fuel industry interests ahead of public health and environmental protections disqualifies him for the critical position of Secretary of Energy. We urge you to oppose his nomination and will consider including this vote in the 2017 Scorecard. If you need more information, please call my office at (202) 785-8683 and ask to speak with a member of our Government Relations team.

Sincerely,

Gene Karpinski

President