Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R) railed against President Obama for his climate regulations on Monday, calling the agency tasked with carrying them out a “den of activists.”
Perry said the regulations, which are aimed at curbing carbon emissions from new and existing coal-fired power plants, would “incapacitate” and “eliminate” critical energy sources, stifle job creation and threaten energy security.
{mosads}”I am deeply concerned that your Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) behaves more like a den of activists then a repository of even-handed regulators,” Perry said in a letter sent to Obama on Friday and released Monday. “Most recently, EPA has targeted coal plants with the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards and Cross-State Air Pollution Rule.”
Perry also attacked a number of other administration energy policies, from delays on the Keystone XL pipeline to natural gas exports.
“After five years and a legion of environmental studies, you’ve allowed politics to trump a common-sense decision to build the Keystone Pipeline, a decision clearly in the best interests of our nation,” Perry said.
Punting a decision on the oil-sands pipeline draws into doubt about the president’s call for a renewed emphasis on the nation’s economic recovery, Perry added.
The former presidential candidate pressed Obama on natural gas exports to non-Free Trade Agreement countries, an issue that has continued to gain momentum as the crisis in Ukraine escalates.
Perry called the current process for exporting liquefied natural gas “outdated,” adding that it “has failed to keep pace with domestic development.”
“In a world roiled by newfound Russian aggression, the ability to trade our energy resources freely is an urgent diplomatic tool, as well as an economic force that must not be ignored,” Perry said.
In recent weeks, Republicans have attempted without success to attach a measure on exporting natural gas to legislation in the Senate.
The House is pushing a bill of its own that would put a clock on the Energy Department for approving export applications.
The administration contends it is moving along at a steady pace on export permits.