Kaine Votes To Oppose Rick Perry as Secretary of Energy

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Tim Kaine released the following statement on his vote to oppose Rick Perry as Secretary of Energy:

“I opposed the nomination of Rick Perry to be Secretary of Energy. Governor Perry has consistently denied the science of climate change, even spreading the falsehood that there is ‘global cooling.’ When he ran for President of the United States, he proposed eliminating the Department he will now lead. In addition, the largest function of the U.S. Department of Energy is to manage America’s nuclear assets. This is directly relevant to Virginia, given the Navy’s nuclear powered aircraft carriers and submarines constructed and stationed in Hampton Roads as well as the BWXT Nuclear Operations Group manufacturing facility in Lynchburg. Governor Perry was apparently unaware until his nomination that nuclear security comprises much of what the Department of Energy does. That conveys to me not only a lack of expertise in a critical national security area but a lack of seriousness and appreciation for this responsibility.”