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Science is at the heart of the DOE. The department has 17 national laboratories that focus on physics, chemistry and other sciences. As Tobey noted in his Foreign Policy piece, these labs operate at the highest level: “115 scientists associated with the department or its predecessors have won Nobel prizes . These laboratories are precious national resources that enhance American welfare, prosperity, and security."Perry may have governed a state rich in fossil fuels and wind energy, but his experience for the role of energy secretary pales in comparison to that of his two predecessors: Dr. Ernest Moniz , an eminent nuclear physicist from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Dr. Steven Chu , who has a Ph.D. in physics from the University of California, Berkeley and is a Nobel laureate.Perry has a bachelor’s degree in animal science from Texas A&M -- and, according to his college transcript , he graduated with a 1.88 GPA (D+) average in the science courses in his major.As Perry supporters have noted, being a scientist is not a prerequisite for the job of energy secretary. However, as theoretical physicist Lawrence Krauss explained in a piece for The New York Times, the person who takes up the mantle “should be someone who is at least familiar with the strategic issues associated with both nuclear power and nuclear weapons,” and who has “at least a modicum of policy experience with some of the vast array of fundamental science supported by the agency.”As governor, Perry ignored basic science on several occasions. He, for instance, supported teaching both evolution and creationist theory in schools. He has also reportedly criticized science textbooks that discussed the negative environmental impacts of fossil fuels.Oh, and he doesn’t believe in climate change (more on that later).Krauss called Perry “the wrong choice for energy secretary,” and recalled meeting the nominee for the first time at the World Economic Forum.“After finding out I was a physicist, [Perry] singled me out in the audience while he was onstage, saying, ‘As Professor Krauss knows, you can violate the laws of physics, but only for a while.’ My answer was, ‘Well, actually you can’t,’ which was followed by a bit of nervous laughter from the crowd,” Krauss wrote. “In the present climate, when nuclear tensions are higher than they have been since the height of the Cold War, when the Iran deal is under attack and proliferation in unstable countries like Pakistan and North Korea will affect plans for our own arsenal, we need someone who is better prepared to handle the challenges. ... Maybe not a rocket scientist, but not someone who likes to think that the laws of physics can be played with at will.”