Unproven
He said that, while some want billions of taxpayer dollars spent to address the matter, he doesn't want to be engaged in spending money on a scientific theory that has not been proven.
The Earth's average surface temperature has increased by about 1.4 degrees Fahrenheit (0.8 degrees Celsius) over the past 100 years, with about one degree occurring over the past three decades, according to a May report from the National Research Council of the National Academies.
A "preponderance" of scientific evidence shows that the release of carbon dioxide and other heat-trapping gases is the "most likely" cause of most warming during the past 50 years, the report found.
Previous Perry statements include his 2009 suggestion that Texas might consider secession from the U.S.
The governor was appearing at an April 15 anti-tax rally in Austin, the Texas capital, where people in the crowd were yelling, "Secede!" In response, Perry said: "We've got a great union. There's absolutely no reason to dissolve it. But if Washington continues to thumb their nose at the American people, you know, who knows what might come out of that."
Carry Permits
Earlier this year, Perry supported legislation to permit Texas college students to carry concealed weapons on campus, a bill that failed to pass.
White House press secretary Jay Carney criticized Perry's Fed remarks yesterday, calling "threatening" Bernanke "not a good idea." Carney told reporters traveling with Obama on a three-day Midwestern bus tour that any candidate for president should consider the impact of statements about an independent entity such as the Fed.
"The Fed's independence is important," he said.