Department of Energy nominee Chris Wright's confirmation hearing: What to know, how to watch
Wright is the CEO of Colorado-based Liberty Energy and has said 'there is no climate crisis.' His company uses a hydraulic fracking technique to extract natural gas and oil from deep within the earth.
Chris Wright, the oil industry CEO tapped by President-elect Donald Trump to lead the Department of Energy, is set to face his Senate confirmation hearing on Wednesday.
As the CEO of the Colorado-based Liberty Energy who has said "there is no climate crisis," Wright's nomination comes with controversy.
In a video posted in 2023 on LinkedIn, Wright took aim at the scientific consensus that manmade greenhouse gas emissions are responsible for the warming planet.
"There is no climate crisis and we're not in the midst of an energy transition, either," said Wright, whose company counts among its services the hydraulic fracking technique used to extract natural gas and oil from deep below the Earth's surface.
Environmental groups have criticized Wright’s nomination, citing his climate denialism. Supporters have praised his experience in the energy sector.
Here's what you need to know.
Watch Chris Wright’s confirmation hearing
The hearing is expected to begin Wednesday, Jan .15, at 10 a.m. ET.
Who is Chris Wright?
Wright, 59, founded Liberty Energy in 2011. If confirmed, Wright will take over a department that oversees the United States energy supplies, as well as the research and development of nuclear power, 17 laboratories and the cleanup of Cold War-era nuclear efforts.
Wright, who according to federal campaign contribution records has donated to Trump's White House run and other Republican causes, also will be a member of Trump's newly formed Council of National Energy, which is set to be led by Interior Secretary nominee Doug Burgum, the president-elect said in a statement back in November.
Wright’s pick follows Trump’s previous opinions on climate change
Wright’s pick follows a pattern that Trump has followed regarding climate denialism. During this first term in office, Trump withdrew the U.S. from the Paris Agreement, an international effort to limit global warming through greenhouse gas emissions reductions.
He also reversed or weakened domestic rules that limited greenhouse gas emissions – a move one 2020 analysis by the Rhodium Group estimated would result in an extra 1.8 billion metric tons of greenhouse gases being released into the atmosphere.
Critics, supporters of Wright weigh in
Sen. John Barrasso, the top Republican on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee has praised Trump for choosing Wright.
"He’s an energy innovator who laid the foundation for America’s fracking boom," added Barrasso. "After four years of America's last energy policy, our country is desperate for a secretary who understands how important American energy is to our economy and our national security. Mr. Wright will help ensure America remains committed to an all-of-the-above energy policy that puts American families first."
Environmental groups disagree that Wright is the right pick.
“It is not surprising, but still appalling that Trump's pick for Secretary of Energy is a climate-denying Big Oil executive,” Tiernan Sittenfeld, senior vice president of government affairs of the League of Conservation Voters, said in a statement. “With the nomination of Chris Wright, Trump is following through on the $1 billion offer he made to Big Oil at a dinner this spring.”
Sittenfeld was referring to a dinner Trump held with a group of oil executives and lobbyists at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida in April.
Trump told attendees they should donate $1 billion to his campaign because, if elected, he would roll back President Joe Biden’s environmental rules and policies and stop others from being enacted.
Fernando Cervantes Jr. is a trending news reporter for Paste BN. Reach him at fernando.cervantes@gannett.com and follow him on X @fern_cerv_.