US takes different approach in talks on clean-energy research

Associated Press

BEIJING

Energy ministers from around the world gathered in Beijing this week to report increased spending to help counter climate change. Yet one prominent voice, that of U.S. Energy Secretary Rick Perry, delivered a starkly countervailing message as the Trump administration seeks to roll back spending on clean energy and promote fossil fuels.

India, France, Norway, Canada, Australia, Japan and others said during a private meeting of ministers earlier this week that they were on track to double government research budgets.

When Perry’s turn came, he said deep cuts to research in Trump’s proposed budget reflected an increased understanding that developing new technologies into commercial projects should be left to private companies. The proposal must first pass through Congress.

“If you’re going to have to prioritize where your dollars are going, early stage is where we’re going to spend it,” Perry said Friday when asked about his earlier comments. “Once [a new technology] has been proven up, we need to get out of the business.”

The approach he outlined marks a sharp departure from the past practice of ushering new technologies through to commercial deployment. It also illustrates a new reality emerging across the global energy landscape, where U.S. innovations long dominated.