US President-elect Donald Trump has chosen oil executive Chris Wright as his choice to lead the Department of Energy. Wright, a climate denier and until now CEO of the Liberty Energy group, is a staunch defender of fossil fuels and frackingthe hydraulic extraction of shale gas that is essential for the economies of states like Pennsylvania but highly criticized by environmental groups.
Trump, who during his first term turned the cry of “drill, baby, grill” (“drill, baby, drill”) in favor of oil exploitation in one of his hallmarks, defends the fracking as one of the ways for the United States to achieve “energy supremacy.”
No political experience
In the statement announcing his selection, Trump indicates that Wright will also be a member of the new National Energy Council. “Chris has been a leading entrepreneur and technician in Energy. He has worked in the gas, oil, geothermal, solar and nuclear energy sectors.”
Wright, who lacks political experience and compares efforts to combat climate change to Soviet-era communism, is expected to push Trump’s plans to increase oil and gas production. Also to generate more electricity, which faces an increase in demand for the first time in decades, driven by the growth of artificial energy, the use of electric vehicles and the popularity of cryptocurrencies.
The CEO of Liberty Energy could also blow up the one-year pause that the Biden Administration imposed on natural gas export permits.
“There is no climate crisis and we are not in the middle of an energy transition,” he maintained in a video he uploaded to his profile on the social network LinkedIn last year. The executive has also criticized progressive groups that fight against climate change and assures that this movement “is falling under its own weight.”
If confirmed and occupy the position of Secretary of Energy, Wright will replace Democrat Jennifer Granholm, who during her term has encouraged the use of electric vehicles and renewable energy.
The Department of Energy is responsible for managing the Strategic Petroleum Reserve and US energy diplomacy. It also manages subsidy and scholarship programs for the development of advanced technologies, and has among its responsibilities the administration of 17 national laboratories, the care of US nuclear weapons silos and nuclear waste.
