Chris Wright, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for energy secretary, told senators during his confirmation hearing Wednesday that he would promote all sources of American energy, while also acknowledging the burning of fossil fuels causes climate change.
Wright, a fossil fuel executive, has been one of the industry’s loudest voices against efforts to fight climate change. He believes that more fossil fuel production can lift people out of poverty around the globe. His nomination went before the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources for a confirmation hearing. Protesters interrupted it multiple times.
Here are the most interesting moments:
CEO of Denver-based Liberty Energy, Wright promised to help Trump “unleash energy security and prosperity.”
The centerpiece of Trump’s energy policy is “drill, baby, drill,” and he has pledged to dismantle what he calls Democrats’ “green new scam” in favor of boosting production of fossil fuels such as oil, natural gas and coal, which cause climate change — when they burn, greenhouse gases are released.
“President Trump shares my passion for energy,” Wright said. “And if confirmed, I will work tirelessly to implement his bold agenda as an unabashed steward for all sources of affordable, reliable and secure American energy.”
He said that includes oil and natural gas, which underpin the nation’s economy; coal, nuclear power and hydropower as major sources of energy; rapidly-growing wind and solar power; and geothermal energy, which could become a meaningful source of energy.
Sen. John Hickenlooper, D-Colo., called Wright an “unrestrained enthusiast for fossils fuels in almost every regard,” but noted that he studied nuclear, worked on solar energy and is a scientist who is open to discussion.
Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, said he thinks Wright’s position on climate change is “more subtle than is publicly recognized” and that he doesn’t deny climate change is happening or that it’s related to the combustion of fossil fuels, which are drastically increasing the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
Wright responded “absolutely,” adding that “mostly from the combustion of hydrocarbons to enable our modern world, we’ve increased atmospheric CO2 concentration by 50%,” making it harder for the Earth to shed heat.
Though he said climate change is real, he also said “there isn’t dirty energy or clean energy.” Rather, he said, there are different sources of energy with different tradeoffs.
“Energy is critical to human lives. Climate change is a global challenge that we need to solve,” Wright said. “And tradeoffs between those two are the decisions politicians make and they’re the decisions that will impact the future of our world and our quality of life.”
Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., asked Wright if he still believes that “wildfires are just hype” following the massive blazes in Southern California, which have killed at least 25 people and destroyed thousands of homes.
Scientists say climate change means more frequent and intense wildfires, with drought-like conditions in the western U.S., are more likely.
“You’ve written that the hype over wildfires is just hype to justify more impoverishment from bad government policies,” Padilla said. “And given the devastation that we’re currently experiencing in Los Angeles, do you still believe that wildfires are just hype?”
Wright said he stood by his past comments. He then said climate change is real before Padilla cut him off.
Padilla said, “tell that to the families of the more than two dozen lost in these fires and counting.”
One protester yelled “LA is burning” and another shouted “I’m 18 years old and I want a future!” They held up signs that read, “big oil profits, LA burns.”
A disruption prompted the Republican Committee Chair, Sen. Mike Lee of Utah, to briefly halt the hearing, saying the committee would stand in recess until the Capitol Police could restore order.
Wright’s company is an investor in Fervo Energy, a Houston-based geothermal company that makes electricity cleanly from the Earth’s heat. He serves on the board of directors of Oklo, a developer of small modular nuclear reactors.
Wright said he’s excited about geothermal as an “an enormous, abundant energy resource below everyone’s feet.” Wright said he wants to accelerate the development of nuclear energy so it can meet a far greater share of the world’s demand for electricity.
Republican Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski asked Wright if he would support a proposed mega-gas project in her home state to export liquefied natural gas overseas. He said it’s a “tremendous idea” and “great for our country” to grow natural gas production in Alaska and build infrastructure to export it.
Wright said he will sever all ties across the energy industry if confirmed.