CEO Chris Wright Confirmed To Lead Energy Department

 

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's nominee for Secretary of Energy Chris Wright is sworn in during his Senate Energy and Natural Resources confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill on January 15, 2025 in Washington, DC. Wright is a U.S. engineer and entrepreneur serving as the CEO of Liberty Energy, which is the second-largest hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, company in North America. (Photo by Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images)
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for Secretary of Energy Chris Wright is sworn in during his Senate Energy and Natural Resources confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill on January 15, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images)

OAN Staff Abril Elfi
5:35 PM – Monday, February 3, 2025

The Senate has confirmed Chris Wright, the CEO of Liberty Energy, to lead the Energy Department. 

On Monday, Wright was confirmed following a 59-38 vote — making him the new energy secretary.

Senators Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) as well as Independent Senator Angus King (I-Maine) voted with Republicans to confirm him.

“He’s a scientist who has invested his life around energy. He is indeed an unrestrained enthusiast for fossil fuels in almost every regard, but he studied nuclear,” Hickenlooper said during Wright’s confirmation hearing. “His first few years of working were in solar. He has experience in wind.”

Wright is set to run a department that oversees energy research and loans, as well as the nation’s nuclear weapons arsenal.

Wright’s supporters cheered his confirmation, with Senator Mike Lee (R-Utah), who chairs the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, expressing that his leadership will support America’s future. 

“I am confident that we can reverse the irresponsible policies of the Biden administration and prioritize affordable and reliable energy. Under his leadership, the DOE will once again support the American worker, the American family, and the American future,” said Lee.

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Trump Picks Liberty Energy CEO Chris Wright To Lead Department Of Energy

GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN - JULY 20: Republican Presidential nominee former President Donald J. Trump holds his first public campaign rally with his running mate, Vice Presidential nominee U.S. Senator J.D. Vance (R-OH) (not pictured), at the Van Andel Arena on July 20, 2024 in Grand Rapids, Michigan. This is also Trump's first public rally since he was shot in the ear during an assassination attempt in Pennsylvania on July 13. Photo by Bill Pugliano/Getty Images)
Republican Presidential nominee former President Donald J. Trump holds his first public campaign rally with his running mate, Vice Presidential nominee U.S. Senator J.D. Vance (R-OH) Photo by Bill Pugliano/Getty Images)

OAN Staff Abril Elfi
3:08 PM – Saturday, November 16, 2024

President-elect Donald Trump has announced he has selected CEO of Liberty Energy Chris Wright to lead the Department of Energy in his new administration.

On Saturday, Trump released a statement announcing Wright’s position in his new cabinet.

“I am thrilled to announce that Chris Wright will be joining my Administration as both United States Secretary of Energy, and Member of the newly formed Council of National Energy,” Trump said. “Wright has been a leading technologist and entrepreneur in Energy.”

“He has worked in Nuclear, Solar, Geothermal, and Oil and Gas,” Trump’s statement read. “Most significantly, Chris was one of the pioneers who helped launch the American Shale Revolution that fueled American Energy Independence, and transformed the Global Energy Markets and Geopolitics.”

According to Liberty Energy’s website, Wright earned a degree in mechanical engineering from MIT. He also pursued graduate studies in electrical engineering at both the University of California, Berkeley, and MIT.

“[Wright] is a self-described tech nerd turned entrepreneur and a dedicated humanitarian on a mission to better human lives by expanding access to abundant, affordable, and reliable energy,” the company’s website reads.

The announcement comes as Trump’s campaign focused on energy independence and increasing oil and gas production.

During his campaign, Trump promised to expand fracking and end the pause on liquefied natural gas exports, highlighting a significant departure from the policies of his predecessor.

The president-elect has pledged to use his second White House term to withdraw from the Paris climate accord once again, roll back stringent emissions standards for vehicles and power plants, and boost U.S. oil and gas production, including through expanded fracking.

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