Chris Wright‚ Trumps pick for energy secretary brings an un-conventional background to the role (his compensation was $4‚6M back in 2021). The Liberty Energy CEO‚ who studied at MIT has made headlines for his straight-forward approach to energy policy
The oil executive demonstrated his confidence in fracking safety about 5 years ago by drinking a chemical mixture on-camera; along with co-workers they made a toast to “oil and gas benefits for humanity“. His tech background and business success - founding a $2‚8B company - shows his hands-on industry experience
Last year Wright got into a short dispute with LinkedIn which took down his video where he stated that climate crisis doesnt exist. The platform restored the content next day‚ The social-media incident highlighted his direct communication style and non-standard views on environmental issues
His recent keynote speech showed clear positions: “theres no such thing as renewable energy“‚ he stated while describing net-zero targets as unrealistic. Wright thinks current energy policies make power less reliable and more expensive - a stance that matches Trumps “drill baby drill“ direction
As energy secretary‚ he would manage US petroleum reserves; oversee nuclear weapons facilities and run 17 national labs. Unlike his predecessor Jennifer Granholm who supported electric cars and wind power Wright focuses on traditional energy sources and wants less regulations
All energy sources have different trade-offs‚ lets just be honest about that
- Will handle energy diplomacy
- Manage nuclear power expansion
- Run new tech development programs
- Control petroleum reserves
The MIT-trained engineer brings business experience but no political background to the role. His company Liberty which he started in 2011 works heavily in fracking operations - showing his deep connection to fossil-fuel industry