President-elect Donald Trump on Saturday announced the nomination of Chris Wright, CEO of a Denver-based fracking service company, as the new head of the U.S. Department of Energy. Trump, 78, also revealed that Wright will serve as the chairman of the Energy Council.
I am thrilled to announce that Chris Wright will be joining my Administration as the United States Secretary of Energy and as a member of the newly established Council of National Energy,” Trump stated.
Chris has been a pioneering force in energy technology and entrepreneurship, with expertise in nuclear, solar, geothermal, and oil and gas,” Trump mentioned. “His most notable contribution was leading the American Shale Revolution, which played a crucial role in securing U.S. energy independence and reshaping global energy markets and geopolitical dynamics.”
Who Is Chris Wright?
Chris Wright is the CEO of Liberty Energy and a vocal critic of the role of climate change in causing extreme weather events. A prominent Republican fundraiser, he would become one of the strongest advocates of climate change skepticism in Trump’s cabinet, if confirmed by the Senate.
In 2023, Wright posted a video on LinkedIn, asserting: “There is no climate crisis, and we’re not undergoing an energy transition either.”
Chris Wright graduated with a mechanical engineering degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and went on to get doctoral degrees in electrical engineering from MIT and UC Berkeley, California. He sits on the boards of several nonprofits and organizations in addition to his position at Liberty Energy.
