Energy Secretary Rick Perry said Tuesday that a major study of the power grid he is overseeing is meant to push back the political goals set out by the Obama administration and ensure electric grid reliability isn’t “tossed aside in favor of some political favorites.”

“I recognize markets have had a role in the evolution of our energy mix, but no reasonable person can deny the thumb, or even the whole hand, if you will, has been put on the scale in favor of certain political outcomes,” Perry said, while addressing the Energy Information Administration’s annual two-day conference in Washington.