Perry says Ocasio-Cortez should not be “castigated” for pushing Green New Deal

SAN ANTONIO (Texas News Radio) — Energy Secretary and former Texas Governor Rick Perry said New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez should not be castigated for pushing the Green New Deal.

The Washington Examiner said the Republican spoke to reporters at an energy conference in Houston this week.

“I don’t think the representative should be castigated or pushed aside just on the face of her comments relative that she wants to live in place with clean air and water,” Perry said. “So do I.”

The secretary said a straight up rejection of the plan would go against the goal of addressing climate change, even opening the possibility of meeting with the New York Democrat on finding ways to reduce emissions.

“I would rather be agreeable,” Perry said. “Life is too short to be pissed off all the time.”

The former governor said liquefied natural gas has been and will be a key driver in reducing emissions, especially in places like China and India, which both still rely heavily on coal.

In his address to attendees, Perry called for a realistic approach to climate change, stating the United States should be inclusive to all energy sources and initiatives, including carbon capture.

While Perry said LNG is a major part of minimizing climate change, Ocasio-Cortez said that’s not good enough.