Wright wants to increase domestic energy production, says 'there isn't dirty energy and clean energy'
Chris Wright, President-elect Donald Trump's pick to be secretary of the Department of Energy, laid out his key priorities, including restoring "energy dominance," increasing technological innovation and cutting regulatory red tape, during a nearly three-hour confirmation hearing on Wednesday.
"I see three immediate tasks where I will focus my attention if I get the privilege of being confirmed. The first is to unleash American energy at home and abroad to restore our energy dominance," Wright said. "Second, we must lead the world in innovation and technology breakthroughs."
"Third, we must build things in America again and remove barriers to progress," he added. "Federal policies today make it too easy to stop projects and very hard, hard to start and complete projects."
Wright, currently the CEO of fracking company Liberty Energy, has long been a proponent of expanding domestic oil and gas production and has been openly critical of policies aimed at curbing the impacts of climate change.
In his testimony before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, Wright expressed support for a range of energy technologies, saying during an exchange with Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, "I am for improving all energy technologies that can better human lives and reduce emissions. They go together."
He particularly emphasized the roles of commercial nuclear energy, liquefied natural gas and geothermal energy in his envisioned expansion of domestic energy production.
Natural gas accounts for about a third of domestic energy, according to the DOE. For domestic use, it is typically delivered as a gas -- its super-chilled liquefied form LNG has become a major U.S. export. The United States is already the world's largest LNG exporter. The incoming Trump administration has said it will undo the Biden administration's pause on new export facility approvals and expand LNG exports further.
Nuclear power currently provides about 20% of U.S. domestic electricity production, according to the DOE.
Geothermal energy is heat energy harnessed from reservoirs, either existing or man-made, within the earth's crust. It is considered a renewable energy source but only accounted for 0.4% of U.S. energy in 2023, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
"Energy is the essential agent of change that enables everything that we do, everything," Wright said Wednesday. "A low energy society is poor. A highly energized society can bring health, wealth and opportunity for all."
"The stated mission of the company that I founded, Liberty Energy, is to better human lives through energy," he added. "Liberty works directly in oil, natural gas, next-generation geothermal and has partnerships in next-generation nuclear energy and new battery technology."
Wright's stated energy priorities represent a shift from the Biden administration's focus on clean energy manufacturing, particularly wind and solar energy, and reflect what Republicans have called an "all-of-the-above energy policy" that includes increased production of oil and gas products.
The anticipated policy shift has caused concerns in climate advocacy circles. Those concerns emerged in the hearing room as 10 protesters from youth-led climate advocacy organization Sunrise Movement were arrested after disrupting the hearing, the group told ABC News.
Wright acknowledged the protesters, saying, "You have to understand that there isn't dirty energy and clean energy. All energies are different, and they all have different trade-offs. Different people have different weights or valuations of trade-offs. Different geographies or locations have climates more favorable to this energy versus that energy. So it's a complicated dialog, which means it's not easy to get people to share this broader perspective on it. I think we're seeing a little bit of that in passionate, well-meaning, wonderful people that have been sitting in the hearing room today."
The shift is being celebrated by Republicans, including Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Chairman Mike Lee, R-Utah, who said during the hearing that Wright's nomination "really couldn't be coming at a more urgent time," heavily criticizing the Biden administration's energy policies.
"On his very first day in office, President Biden halted new oil and natural gas leases on public lands and waters, effectively cutting off access to resources that could have powered our economy and benefited the lives of ordinary Americans," Lee added. "Over the past four years, the same administration has dismantled domestic energy production, canceled leases and weaponized regulations to discourage investment in pipelines and critical energy infrastructure."
Some Democrats on the committee questioned Wright's views around climate change, including whether it contributes to disasters like the wildfires in Los Angeles -- a connection he stopped short of making, though he did call climate change "a real and global phenomenon."
In shifting the focus of the DOE away from environmental impacts and toward increased production, Wright said the aim is to reduce costs for the public.
"Ten percent of Americans got a disconnection notice to their utilities in the last 12 months," Wright said. "More than 20% of Americans report struggles paying their bills -- whether it's paying their energy bills, whether it's filling their car with gas or heating their home or paying their electricity bill. So, this is important. It's not just important for national security and industry and all that -- it's important for the quality of life of every American."
"Energy is the infrastructure of life," he added. "It's what makes everything possible."
