Trump picks oil executive and climate denier Chris Wright as US Energy Secretary usa elections

US President-elect Donald Trump has chosen oil executive Chris Wright as his choice to lead the Energy Department. Wright, a climate denier and by now CEO of Liberty Energy Group, is a staunch defender of fossil fuels and frackingHydraulic extraction of shale gas is essential to the economies of states like Pennsylvania but is highly criticized by environmental groups.

Trump, who created an outcry during his first term “Drill, Baby, Grill” (“Drill, Baby, Drill”) defends oil exploitation in one of its identities fracking As one of the ways for the United States to achieve “energy supremacy”.

no political experience

In announcing his selection, Trump indicated that Wright would also be a member of the new National Energy Council. “Chris has been a leading entrepreneur and technician in the energy sector. He has worked in the gas, oil, geothermal, solar and nuclear energy sectors.

Wright, who lacks political experience and compared efforts to combat climate change to Soviet-era communism, is expected to push Trump’s plans to increase oil and gas production. As well as to generate more electricity, which is experiencing a surge in demand for the first time in decades due to the growth of artificial energy, the use of electric vehicles and the popularity of cryptocurrencies.

The Liberty Energy CEO may also lift a one-year pause on natural gas export permits imposed by the Biden administration.

“There is no climate crisis and we are not in the middle of an energy transition,” he said in a video 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 the movement is “collapsing under its own weight.”

If confirmed and accepted into the post of energy secretary, Wright would replace Democrat Jennifer Granholm, who has promoted the use of electric vehicles and renewable energy during her tenure.

The Department of Energy is responsible for the management of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve and US energy diplomacy. It also administers subsidy and scholarship programs for the development of advanced technologies, and its responsibilities also include the administration of 17 national laboratories, US nuclear weapons silos, and the care of nuclear waste.