Sen. Lindsey GrahamLindsey Olin GrahamRepublican senators request briefing on DOJ ‘spying’ probe Graham says Senate should vote on Sanders prisoner voting idea Barr to testify before Senate panel next week on Mueller report MORE (R-S.C.) told those gathered at a Dallas-based sustainability conference that President TrumpDonald John TrumpPresenting the 2020 Democratic bracket The time has come for the Democrats to act, finally DHS expedites border wall replacement in Arizona, Texas MORE has a long way to go in acknowledging the science behind climate change.
“Climate change is real, the science is sound and the solutions are available,” Graham said, adding jokingly, “If I told Trump that [special counsel Robert] Mueller thinks climate change is a hoax, we’d be well on our way.”
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Trump has a long history of lashing out at both the special counsel investigation and global warming as a concept, repeatedly saying winter storms are a sign that climate change isn’t real.
Graham was speaking on a panel at the EarthX2019 conference with Sen. Sheldon WhitehouseSheldon WhitehouseHillicon Valley: Washington preps for Mueller report | Barr to hold Thursday presser | Lawmakers dive into AI ethics | FCC chair moves to block China Mobile | Dem bill targets ‘digital divide’ | Microsoft denies request for facial recognition tech Dems introduce bill to tackle ‘digital divide’ Senators press drug industry ‘middlemen’ over high prices MORE (D-R.I) and Energy Secretary Rick PerryJames (Rick) Richard PerryOvernight Energy: Mueller report reveals Russian efforts to sow division over coal jobs | NYC passes sweeping climate bill likened to ‘Green New Deal’ | EPA official says agency may ban asbestos | Energy Dept. denies Perry planning exit The Hill’s 12:30 Report: Inside the Mueller report The very early, boring Democratic primary: Biden v. Bernie MORE.
For his part, Perry mirrored some of Trump’s vocal skepticism about renewable energy sources, according to reporting from the Dallas Business Journal.
“Some people just want to rely on them solely,” he said. “Our air might be cleaner, but the energy supply isn’t nearly as reliable. Imagine what a single natural disaster or cybersecurity attack would do to us when the sun doesn’t come out, or the wind doesn’t blow. The cost to our economy would be huge.”
Trump has made a number of controversial false statements about renewable energy, including comments that wind turbines cause cancer and that a more wind-reliant future would mean people would not be able to watch TV if the wind stopped blowing.