Perry addresses climate, transgender troops and more in Daikin visit

United States Energy Secretary Rick Perry, right, shakes hands with Goodman president and CEO Takeshi Ebisu after Perry talked to employees at Daikin Industries while on a tour of the air conditioning manufacturing plant Friday, July 28, 2017 in Waller. Goodman is a member of the Daikin Group. less United States Energy Secretary Rick Perry, right, shakes hands with Goodman president and CEO Takeshi Ebisu after Perry talked to employees at Daikin Industries while on a tour of the air conditioning ... more Photo: Michael Ciaglo, Houston Chronicle Photo: Michael Ciaglo, Houston Chronicle Image 1 of / 9 Caption Close Perry addresses climate, transgender troops and more in Daikin visit 1 / 9 Back to Gallery

U.S. Energy Secretary Rick Perry repeated the assertion Friday that scientists have not conclusively determined the extent to which human activity is driving global climate change. He also emphasized the need to continue developing fossil fuels in addition to renewable energy sources.

"Sometimes the wind doesn't blow," the former Texas governor said during an appearance at a manufacturing plant in Waller. "Sometimes the sun doesn't shine."

Perry didn't confine his comments, during a town hall-style meeting at the massive new Daikin air-conditioning facility northwest of Houston, to areas specifically in the purview of the Department of Energy. They included topics like health care, foreign investment and even President Donald Trump's recent tweet announcing the armed services would no longer "accept or allow" transgender troops to serve.

Perry, a former Air Force officer, said he supports such a ban because the military shouldn't have to cover gender-reassignment surgeries. So far, Trump's Wednesday morning tweet has not been put into effect.

Speaking on climate change, Perry acknowledged that "the climate is changing, it's been changing for centuries," and that human activity has driven some change. But he rejected the idea that "the science is settled" on just how much.

He called for more conversation on the topic, noting that the U.S. is among the world's leaders in reducing emissions.

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In addition to energy-related policy matters such as nuclear waste, climate change and grid security, Perry also addressed hot topics like health care and foreign investment.

"If I have an opinion about it, I'm not going to be quiet about it," he said. "I'm going to talk to the American people about things outside the Department of Energy."

He praised Daikin as a "another international company that's putting Texans to work," and said competitive U.S. policies on taxes, regulations, laws and education were key to attracting such foreign investment. Education in particular, he said, helps build a skilled workforce.

Goodman Manufacturing CEO Takeshi Ebisu, who oversees the new Daikin plant, has cited the Houston area's skilled engineering workforce as a prime reason to build the plant, the nation's second-largest industrial building, outside Houston.

The deal was among the biggest in recent memory for Houston. The $417 million, 94-acre manufacturing and distribution facility will employ 5,000 people. Daikin, a 93-year-old, $24 billion Japanese maker of heating and air conditioning units, opened its North American headquarters in Waller this year after buying Houston-based Goodman Manufacturing for $3.7 billion in 2012.

Perry said that as governor he helped to create the regulatory climate that's attracted this kind of foreign investment in Texas.

Finally, Perry called for a new solution to nuclear waste storage, saying 38 states have storage facilities, "some of them not very well protected."

"Let's get on with this," he said. "We need to stop kicking the can down the road."