Trump administration profile: Chris Wright |
Energy Secretary Chris Wright is a longtime fossil fuel advocate and outspoken critic of climate policy. During his confirmation hearing he denounced the so-called “green new scam” — climate-preservations proposals he sees as costly and ineffective. Instead, Wright has endorsed a multiresource strategy that combines finite sources like oil, gas, and coal with nuclear, hydropower and other resources to meet the nation’s energy needs. In 1992, Wright founded Pinnacle Technologies, a company that pioneered shale gas extraction through fracking. Wright served as CEO of Pinnacle and chairman of Stroud Energy, also involved in the extraction of shale gas, until 2006. Wright then founded the oilfield services company Liberty Energy (first known as Liberty Oilfield Services) in 2011. Eight years later, Wright and the “Liberty Team” took to social media to demonstrate the safety of fracking to pro-climate critics by drinking fracking fluid, which contains a cocktail of bleach, soap and hazardous chemicals. The company reportedly fracks 20 percent of U.S. onshore wells today. His appointment to the Department of Energy is his first governmental position (other than a stint on the board of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York from 2020 to 2024), and he has vowed to help lead a nation ready to “drill, baby, drill.” Carolyn Neugarten took a deep dive into Wright's background and efforts to influence politics. |
- Before his appointment, Wright served on the board of the nuclear technology company Oklo, working to create neutron microreactors that can operate for long periods without refueling. Oklo went public in 2023 via a SPAC merger with AltC Acquisition Corporation, founded by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. Wright held unvested restricted stock units in Oklo valued between $250,000 and $500,000 while he was director.
- As CEO of Liberty Energy, Wright earned $5.6 million in 2023, and he owns stock in the company worth between $5 million and $25 million.
- In November 2024, Wright donated $50,000 to the Americans for Prosperity Action Committee, following previous contributions of $100,000 in November 2024 and $25,000 in October 2020. Americans for Prosperity is a conservative advocacy group founded by billionaire brothers Charles and David Koch, who made their money in fossil fuels. The group has consistently opposed climate regulations, particularly those introduced during the Obama administration. AFP was one of the most vocal critics of the proposed cap-and-trade policy, organizing over 80 events nationwide to protest “global warming alarmism.” The organization is also a major proponent of the Keystone XL pipeline.
- In the summer of 2016, Wright swore off future support of Trump. But in 2024, he made significant personal contributions to Trump and other Republican candidates, including a $228,390 donation to the Trump 47 Committee and another $175,000 contribution linked to a fundraiser in August 2024 co-hosted by his wife, Liz Wright. In September 2024 he donated $25,000 to the Truth and Courage PAC, a group that campaigned for Ted Cruz’s Senate re-election.
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