ALBAWABA - Chris Wright, Liberty Energy CEO and shale oil industry leader, is President-elect Donald Trump's nominee for Energy Secretary. Trump's Saturday announcement emphasizes energy independence and global energy leadership.
Trump called Wright a "visionary leader" who helped start the American shale revolution. Trump stated, “As Secretary of Energy, Chris will be instrumental in fostering innovation, reducing bureaucratic barriers, and steering the U.S. toward a new era of energy dominance and economic prosperity.
Wright will also join the National Energy Council, a new advisory body aiming at strengthening the US energy leadership. The council must plan for "U.S. energy supremacy," according to a Trump campaign statement.
Wright created Liberty Energy in 2011 to produce oil and gas using hydraulic fracturing, a controversial but extensively utilized process. A climate change skeptic, Wright has rejected the idea of a "climate crisis" and opposed designating energy sources "clean" or "dirty." Wright wrote on LinkedIn that "all energy sources have pros and cons," and as "carbon pollution," he said carbon dioxide is essential for life.
Wright has expertise in nuclear, solar, geothermal, oil, and natural gas, Trump said. Wright's shale oil work boosted U.S. energy independence and changed global energy markets, he said.
During the election, Trump accused his opponent, Kamala Harris, of planning to restrict fracking, which Harris rejected. Trump's nomination of Wright shows his commitment to fracking as a mainstay of energy policy.
Many industry analysts praised Wright's nomination, seeing it as a proof of Trump's commitment to energy sector expansion and deregulation.
