President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for energy secretary, oil company executive and technology innovator Chris Wright, sailed through a Senate confirmation hearing Wednesday.
No vote was taken at the nearly three-hour hearing held by the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, but Wright appears certain to be approved by the committee in the days ahead — and later by the full Senate, which Republicans control.
Wright acknowledged at numerous points during the hearing that climate change from the burning of fossil fuels is real. Saying carbon emissions have caused global warming, he championed a broad range of energy sources including nuclear, wind, solar and geothermal, the latter well established in some parts of the world but relatively new to the U.S.
“Energy is the infrastructure of life; it makes everything possible,” Wright told the committee, adding that Trump shares his passion.
No Democrats on the Republican-led panel said at Wednesday’s cordial meeting that they would vote against Wright.
Lawmakers praised the Liberty Energy CEO for transparency in his paperwork disclosures and in his verbal statements. He repeatedly pledged at the hearing to sever all financial ties to the energy sector to eliminate conflicts of interest or the appearance thereof if he is confirmed.
The Energy and Natural Resources Committee is stacked with senators from Western, mineral-rich states. Members include Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso, R-Wyoming, and fellow Republican Sens. Jim Risch of Idaho, Steve Daines of Montana and Mike Lee of Utah, the chairman.
Colorado has a member on the panel — Democrat Sen. John Hickenlooper. Other senators on the committee include Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, John Hoeven, R-North Dakota, and Martin Heinrich, New Mexico, the panel’s top Democrat.
It remains to be seen how Wright, if confirmed, would help shape or implement policies on coal and oil.
Wyoming is far and away the nation’s No. 1 coal-producing state, accounting for 41% of the nation’s total, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. West Virginia is second with 14%.
Wyoming ranks eighth among the 50 states in crude oil production, according to the Energy Department.
The Energy and Natural Resources Committee on Thursday will weigh Trump’s choice of Doug Burgum for Interior secretary, another post bearing critically on the energy sector.
Wright founded Liberty Energy, which is involved in oil exploration methods including hydraulic fracturing, known as fracking. A graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and U.C. Berkeley with engineering degrees, he has founded other successful companies, including Pinnacle Technologies.
“He 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,” according to his biography on Liberty Energy’s website.
