Chris Wright, the Denver-based fracking CEO tapped by President Donald Trump to lead the Energy Department, was confirmed to the role by the Senate Monday evening.
Senators voted 59-38 to confirm Wright, including support from some Democrats, despite opposition to his nomination from environmental groups and their party’s leadership in the Senate who criticized his comments downplaying climate change as a serious global threat.
Wright has pledged to pursue an all-of-the-above energy strategy at the agency, which oversees a wide array of energy research and development, maintains the country’s nuclear stockpile and operates the network of national laboratories.
“What I like most about Mr. Wright is that he tells the truth about energy production. He acknowledges that climate change is real. He knows more American energy is the solution, not the problem,” said Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) on the floor last week. “His energy realism is welcome news.”
Wright spent his career pioneering fracking technologies that have helped revolutionize the oil and gas sector and turned the U.S. into the world’s largest producer of those energy sources. He is currently the CEO of Liberty Energy and is on the board of Oklo, a company developing small modular nuclear reactors. Liberty Energy is also an investor in enhanced geothermal start-up Fervo Energy.
Once confirmed, Wright pledged to divest interests and stocks and resign from his positions with Liberty Energy, Oklo and EMX Royalty, a global mining royalties company.
During his confirmation hearing last month, Wright detailed three “immediate tasks” he would focus on if confirmed: unleashing American energy at home and abroad to “restore our energy dominance,” pursuing innovation and technology breakthroughs and cutting red tape for energy and infrastructure projects.
Colorado Democratic Sen. John Hickenlooper, who has known Wright for years, acknowledged there are ample issues the pair disagree on, which has prompted “heated discussions” on the federal government’s role in addressing climate change, in particular.
But Hickenlooper — who introduced Wright at his confirmation hearing — ultimately supported his confirmation Monday.
“He genuinely listens. He gives honest answers. He has pledged he will follow the facts,” Hickenlooper told POLITICO.
“In a funny way he is going to give the Senate the chance to have a real debate again on how fast is the climate changing and how do we measure which parts of extreme weather are a part of that.”
Wright has come under scrutiny for his previous statements and views over the threat from climate change. Environmental groups, like the League of Conservation Voters, have criticized him as a wealthy Big Oil executive with direct conflicts of interest heading the department, as well as for his previous statements — some of which, like the connection between wildfires and climate change, he doubled down on during his confirmation hearing.
At the hearing, Wright acknowledged climate change is a global challenge that needs to be solved, but noted there are trade-offs between that and the need to boost energy production.
As secretary, Wright will also oversee an Energy Department that was expanded by former President Joe Biden to implement Democrats’ climate law, the Inflation Reduction Act, and other programs under the bipartisan infrastructure law.
Much of that funding is currently in question as the department undergoes a review of projects and spending spurred by Trump.
Some Democrats expressed concern about Wright’s willingness to help protect those investments, which Republican lawmakers are targeting under planned reconciliation legislation.
“The IRA is on the table in reconciliation. They [Republicans] want to repeal it,” said Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.). “And in my state, the number one benefit to our clean energy economy, to creating jobs, and all the innovation and projects happening there is because of the bipartisan infrastructure package, the CHIPS and Science Act and most important the Inflation Reduction Act.”
Senate Energy and Natural Resources ranking member Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), who voted in favor of Wright’s nomination, told POLITICO he expected Wright before the confirmation process to be “dogmatic in his thinking on energy,” given his public comments promoting fossil fuels and downplaying climate change.
But Heinrich said in his conversations with Wright, the energy executive’s answers on upholding appropriated clean energy spending “were fairly clear.”
Wright will replace Ingrid Kolb, who has been serving as secretary in an acting capacity, since Trump’s inauguration.
The president also nominated James Danly, a Trump-appointed FERC commissioner, as deputy secretary.
Elsewhere in the department, Alex Fitzsimmons will serve as Wright’s chief of staff, while Trump tapped Wells Griffith for undersecretary of energy and Darío Gil for undersecretary for science and innovation.
Wright will also sit on the National Security Council and could play a key role in the National Energy Dominance Council that is still taking shape.
