Trump energy secretary nominee faces questions over posts on climate, LA fires: NPR

We follow the confirmation hearings for the new Trump administration. See our complete political coverageand follow NPR Podcast Trump’s Conditions Or subscribe to our political newsletter to stay up to date.

WHO: Chris Wright

Nominated for: Secretary of Energy

You may know them from: Wright is the CEO of Liberty Energy, a Denver-based oil and gas company.

• He has experience in oil and gas, as well as geothermal, nuclear and solar energy.
• It has long developed technologies for hydraulic fracturing, a type of oil and gas extraction.
• Some of his previous online articles on climate change have contradicted the scientific consensus, including a video in which he inaccurately claimed that global warming had not caused more hurricanes, droughts and floods. intense.

What is this role for: The Secretary of Energy manages 17 national laboratories who carry out a wide range of research, particularly in the field of renewable energies. The agency also has nuclear weapons.

Here’s what happened at the hearing

Wright is a fossil fuel industry executive, and during his confirmation hearing he pledged to support all forms of “reliable” energy, including solar, wind, nuclear and geothermal.

But Wright’s past social media posts have sparked controversy. In a Linkedin article from 2023 he wrote: “The hype around wildfires is just hype designed to justify further impoverishment due to bad government policies. »

Democratic Sen. Alex Padilla of California asked Wright specifically about that message, referencing the Los Angeles fires. Padilla is originally from Los Angeles. “Given the devastation we are currently experiencing in Los Angeles, do you still think the wildfires are just hype?” » asked Padilla.

Wright said he watched the fires with “sadness and fear” and added when pressed by Padilla: “I stand by my past comment.”

A recent analysis UCLA scientists found that climate change had made the region’s vegetation about 25 percent drier before the fires, increasing the chances of intense, fast-moving fires.

Climate change and the Los Angeles fires

Although the senators’ questions were rather cordial, at least half a dozen climate activists spoke during the hearings.

“The climate crisis is here, Los Angeles is burning, it’s because of fossil fuel companies,” one activist shouted.

In response to questions from Maine Independent Sen. Angus King, Wright confirmed that he accepts the scientific consensus that the primary driver of global warming is the burning of fossil fuels.

“Mainly because of the burning of hydrocarbons to allow our modern world to function, we have increased the atmospheric concentration of CO2… (making) it more difficult for the Earth to lose heat,” Wright said.

Wright told Democratic Sen. John Hickenlooper of Colorado that climate change “is a global problem. It’s a real problem. It’s a difficult problem. And the solution to climate change is changing our energy system.”

Wright added: “Are there things we can do, joint investments through the Department of Energy to accelerate the development of new energy technologies that are really the only way to combat change absolutely?

“Affordable and reliable” energy

Wright has repeatedly said he would support “affordable and reliable” energy. The expression “reliable energy” can sometimes be a dig at solar and wind power, because the sun doesn’t always shine and the wind doesn’t always blow. Renewable energy researchers point to the fact that this problem is solved with huge batteries that store the ‘energy.

Nevada Senator Catherine Cortez Masto questioned Wright’s views on solar energy in particular, as Nevada is a state with a large solar industry.

Wright expressed enthusiasm for solar energy. “I worked in solar,” Wright said. “We’re seeing strong growth in solar, and I expect that to continue.”

Wright also said he supports the expansion of nuclear and geothermal energy production, as well as the expansion of fossil fuels like liquefied natural gas.

The question of research and censorship

Padilla also asked Wright if he would commit to not censoring the Department of Energy’s research.

“I will follow the scientific method,” Wright said. “I will respect the laws and statutes of our country, of course, Senator.”