U.S. energy chief says fossil fuels could help prevent sexual assaults in Africa

 

U.S. Energy Secretary Rick Perry attends the opening of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) General Conference at their headquarters in Vienna, Austria September 18, 2017. REUTERS/Leonhard Foeger

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Energy Secretary Rick Perry suggested on Thursday that the expansion of fossil fuel use in Africa would help protect people there from sexual assault, a comment that drew a swift rebuke from environmental activists.

 

Perry, a former Texas governor who has pushed to expand U.S. oil, gas and coal output and exports, made the remark while discussing a trip he made to South Africa last week.

 

He said a young woman from a village told him that electricity was important to her not only because it would free her from having to read by the light of a fire with choking fumes, but also from the standpoint of sexual assault.

 

"When the lights are on, when you have light, it shines the righteousness, if you will, on those types of acts," Perry, a Republican, told the event hosted by Axios and NBC News.

 

"From the standpoint of how you really affect people's lives, fossil fuel is going to play a role in that," he said.

The Sierra Club, an environmental group that campaigns for increased use of wind and solar power, called for Perry to resign after his comments.

 

"To suggest that fossil fuel development will decrease sexual assault is not only blatantly untrue, it is an inexcusable attempt to minimize a serious and pervasive issue," said the group's director, Michael Brune.

 

Many advocates of renewable electricity say increased use of wind and solar can bring power to many remote areas faster than centralized and expensive fossil fuel plants or liquid fuel generators. Efficient storage of renewable power in batteries can be a hurdle, however.

 

The Energy Department did not immediately respond to a question about reaction to Perry's comments.

 

South Africa satisfied less than 2 percent of its energy demand with renewable sources in 2016, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, the independent statistics arm of the Energy Department. Coal provided 70 percent of its energy, oil 22 percent, and natural gas, 4 percent.

 

Source: 

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2017-11-03

24 minutes ago, webfact said:

When the lights are on, when you have light, it shines the righteousness, if you will, on those types of acts," Perry, a Republican, told the event hosted by Axios and NBC News.

Another blanking...@#$% idiot from the far right.

Where do these people get these twisted ideas? Sure the audience must have sniggered. 

45 minutes ago, Carib said:

Where do these people get these twisted ideas? Sure the audience must have sniggered. 

Remember...this is the same guy that when running for President said the first thing he would do is eliminate the Dept. Of Energy. After Trump's election, he accepted the job as Secretary of the Department of Energy. Another soulless idiot.

Unbelivable but -

Edited November 3, 20178 yr by lopburi3

Fossil fuels could be an aid to stopping sexual assaults: get a can of gas, pour it on the perp, apply match

Such a Retard. Where does the GOP find these guys. Sheesh!

Sent from my SM-G950W using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

Don't let Rick's stupidity fool you. He's actually dumber than he appears. 

3 hours ago, tonray said:

Remember...this is the same guy that when running for President said the first thing he would do is eliminate the Dept. Of Energy. After Trump's election, he accepted the job as Secretary of the Department of Energy. Another soulless idiot.

 

Perhaps this is his idea of elimination - discredit them first!

 

Defense - he should encourage all the African ladies to carry a chunk of coal wrapped in an old sock. That would push the coal exports up 

and they walk amongst us...............

A lot of women I've known preferred it with the light on.

Fossil fuel royalties goes into very few pockets, in Africa.... 

 

alternatively, look at Brunei... which is the flip side of the coin

 

answer... get rid of the corruption, and give the people their fair share of their countries bounty, this would help keep the lights on more than lining the already overburdened pockets of the corrupt (I often wonder how these people think that they can ever spend their enormous personal wealth)

 

every country drawing fuels from these resource rich African nations, share in the shame of the poverty inflicted on these people.

 

edited footnote... buy Australian LNG!

Edited November 3, 20178 yr by farcanell

Say What????

The connection could be 'fossil'. Other than that, he's been at the bottle. 

What a tool

Coming from the same guy whose solution to a drought, as governor of Texas, was to pray for rain for 3 days in April 2011. Of course nothing fails like prayer and the drought worsened over the next 4 months and the first substantial rains didn't come until October. Ironically and quite comically, the rains finally came to Texas in October 2011, during the Texas Freethought Convention in Houston...attended by over 700 nonbelievers!