Texas Gov. Rick Perry Thursday called on Washington to unleash U.S. energy production to help “liberate” European nations threatened by Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin’s chokehold on energy by replacing Russia as Europe’s top supplier.
Speaking in Texas at a climate and energy policy summit, he dubbed his proposal an “energy shield,” and said it should be used as a weapon for good against nations like Russia.
“Energy is a weapon in the hands of aggressors so I say if energy is going to be used as a weapon, America should always have the largest arsenal. The arsenal of American energy will not, however, be used to bully other nations, but rather to set them free,” he said in excerpts provided to Secrets in advance.
Perry, who is eyeing a second try at the White House, argued that new energy production “allows us the opportunity to reshape the global economy” and take on bullies like Russia that control the natural gas market in much of Europe.
“With the natural gas we now produce, we can help liberate our European allies from Russian energy aggression,” said Perry in his address.
In a forceful speech, the governor said that President Obama’s weak foreign policy has invited Russia to expand and take advantage of its oil and gas supplies.
“The sad reality of our foreign policy is that neither our allies nor our adversaries know where America stands. Our foreign policy is a muddled mess,” he said.
“While we seek peace with Russia, we know Mr. Putin doesn’t respect lofty rhetoric but instead real strength,” said Perry in his call for a new foreign policy.
“The first order of business to restore balance to Europe is for America to build an energy shield to protect our strategic allies. To show leadership abroad we must accelerate the export of America’s vast energy resources,” he explained.
His proposal was reminiscent of the missile shield former President Ronald Reagan proposed to shut down Soviet threats against the West.
Perry’s comments came during a two-day event hosted by the the Texas Public Policy Foundation titled “At the Crossroads: Energy & Climate Policy Summit.”
Organizers called it the conservative answer to the U.N. Climate Summit in New York, and explained that it is focused on finding a common ground between energy use and climate policy.
“There is a need to discuss the surging energy abundance gained through the shale revolution and federal climate policies to sanction and eliminate coal, natural gas and oil on which the world depends for over 80 percent of energy,” said Kathleen Hartnett-White director of the Armstrong Center for Energy and the Environment at the Texas Public Policy Foundation.
Paul Bedard, the Washington Examiner’s “Washington Secrets” columnist, can be contacted at [email protected].
