Dive Brief:
- President-elect Donald Trump announced Saturday that he has selected oil services executive Chris Wright to lead the U.S. Department of Energy. Wright is president and CEO of Liberty Energy, which assists energy producers with hydraulic fracturing and well completion and is engaged in lawsuits against the Biden administration over the Labor Department's ESG rule and the Securities and Exchange Commission's climate-risk disclosure rule.
- Wright, a donor to Trump’s campaign, has denied that there is a climate crisis or ongoing energy transition. In a video posted to LinkedIn last year, he said the idea of carbon pollution is “outrageous” since humans cannot live without carbon dioxide. “There is no climate crisis,” he said.
- Climate advocates expressed alarm at the announcement. “Any nominee, including Chris Wright, who ignores the stakes in this global clean energy race — or fails to recognize the urgent challenge of climate change — should concern all of us,” Environmental Defense Fund Executive Director Amanda Leland said in a statement.
Dive Insight:
Trump’s potential cabinet is beginning to take shape, with an energy focus on increasing baseload generation and decreasing obstacles for fossil-based power.
Wright “has been a leading technologist and entrepreneur in Energy. He has worked in Nuclear, Solar, Geothermal, and Oil and Gas,” according to a Trump statement. “Most significantly, Chris was one of the pioneers who helped launch the American Shale Revolution that fueled American Energy Independence, and transformed the Global Energy Markets and Geopolitics.”
Trump on Friday tapped North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, a Republican, to run the Department of Interior as well as the newly formed National Energy Council.
Both Wright and Burgum will need to be confirmed by the U.S. Senate. Wright will continue in his duties at Liberty Energy until confirmed, the company said in a statement.
Wright said he is “deeply honored by this nomination and opportunity to serve our country and continue the mission of bringing affordable, reliable energy to the citizens of the United States and beyond.”
Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., called Wright a “bold choice” who will “help ensure America remains committed to an all-of-the-above energy policy.”
“He’s an energy innovator who laid the foundation for America’s fracking boom. After four years of America last energy policy, our country is desperate for a Secretary who understands how important American energy is to our economy and our national security,” Barrasso said.
The Energy Workforce & Technology Council pointed to Wright’s “longstanding commitment to advancing American energy.”
“Chris has an unparalleled understanding of the challenges and opportunities facing the energy sector,” the national trade association said. “There is no doubt that his expertise and leadership will make him an outstanding Secretary of Energy. EWTC looks forward to partnering with him to unleashing the full potential of American energy.”
Wright’s previous comments about climate change have alarmed activists. “There is no such thing as clean energy or dirty energy,” he said in a 2023 LinkedIn video post. “All energy sources have impacts on the world. ... credible, honest dialogue is simply lacking in today’s discourse.”
Wright called five terms — climate crisis, energy transition, carbon pollution, clean energy, and dirty energy — “both deceptive and destructive.”
“Shutting down investment in clean energy makes America weaker,” EDF’s Leland said. “It sends jobs to other countries, raises prices, and pollutes the air and water. If we turn our back on the cheapest forms of new energy — like solar and wind power — it will make energy more expensive for American consumers.”
Sierra Club Executive Director Ben Jealous called Wright “utterly unqualified for the job.”
Wright “is a climate denier who has profited off of polluting our communities and endangering our health and future,” Jealous said. “So, of course Donald Trump finds him fit to lead the Department of Energy, where he’ll be hell-bent on abusing his power to prolong the use of deadly fossil fuels and give his corporate polluter executive friends a rubber stamp for the unfettered buildout of [liquefied natural gas] exports.”
With Republicans soon to be in charge of the House, Senate and the White House, experts say the Trump administration will likely try to increase gas exports.
“This will have profound impacts on domestic energy markets, as removing a public interest balanced consideration will prioritize gas exports at the expense of access to domestic supply. We’ll see sharply higher domestic natural gas prices going forward,” according to Tyson Slocum, director of Public Citizen’s Energy Program.
