Chris Wright (energy executive)
Chris Wright | |
|---|---|
 Wright in 2023 | |
| United States Secretary of Energy Presumptive nominee | |
| Assuming office TBD | |
| President | Donald Trump |
| Succeeding | Jennifer Granholm |
| Personal details | |
| Political party | Republican |
| Alma mater | |
Christopher Allen Wright[1] is an American energy executive who is the chief executive of Liberty Energy, a hydraulic fracturing company. He is the presumptive nominee for United States Secretary of Energy under Donald Trump's second presidency, and will serve on the National Energy Council if confirmed by the Senate. He is a board member of Oklo Inc., a nuclear technology company, and EMX Royalty.[2] He denies that there is a climate crisis.
Early life and education
[edit]![[icon]](/wiki/File:Wiki_letter_w_cropped.svg){kind=small} | This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (November 2024) |
Wright grew up in Colorado and earned an undergraduate degree at MIT. He was a graduate student in electrical engineering at the University of California-Berkeley and MIT.[3]
Career
[edit]In 1992, Wright founded Pinnacle Technologies, a company involved in commercial shale gas production through fracking and served as its CEO until 2006. He was also chairman of Stroud Energy, another company involved in the production of shale gas, before he sold the company in 2006.[4]
In 2011, he founded Liberty Energy. As of February 2023, the company was valued at US$2.8 billion, according to The Wall Street Journal.[5]
In 2019 Wright drank fracking fluid to attempt to prove that it was not dangerous,[6] and Liberty Energy attempted greenwashing its chemical additives.[7] In a video posted to LinkedIn in January 2023, he said, "There is no climate crisis and we're not in the midst of an energy transition either".[5][8] He claimed that the climate movement around the world was "collapsing under its own weight." [3]
Nominee for secretary of Energy
[edit]On November 15, 2024, the Financial Times reported that Wright was the most likely candidate for United States Secretary of Energy in Donald Trump's second presidency; businessmen Ray Washburne and Paul Dabbar were also considered.[9] He received several endorsements from Trump allies including American Energy Alliance president Thomas Pyle and Continental Resources chairman Harold Hamm.[10] The next day, Trump announced he would nominate Wright as the secretary of energy.[11]
Personal life
[edit]In 2024, Wright donated $228,390 to Trump's joint fundraising committee.[12] As the CEO of Liberty Energy Wright earned $5.6 million in 2023 alone.[12]
References
[edit]- ^ Report of proposed sale of securities (Report). Securities and Exchange Commission. August 9, 2023. Retrieved November 16, 2024.
- ^ "Christopher A Wright "Chris"". Bloomberg News. Retrieved November 16, 2024.
- ^ a b "Trump names fossil fuel executive Chris Wright as energy secretary". AP News. 2024-11-16. Retrieved 2024-11-16.
- ^ "Liberty Energy Leadership". Liberty Energy. Archived from the original on October 6, 2024. Retrieved November 16, 2024.
- ^ a b Morenne, Benoît (February 4, 2023). "Energy CEO Fights Climate Science. And LinkedIn. North Face, Too". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on May 25, 2024. Retrieved November 16, 2024.
- ^ "Trump picks oil industry CEO Chris Wright as Energy Secretary". Reuters. November 16, 2024. Retrieved November 16, 2024.
- ^ "Green Select". December 20, 2019. Retrieved 2024-11-17.
- ^ Samuelsohn, Darren. "Donald Trump to nominate industry CEO Chris Wright to be secretary of Energy". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2024-11-16.
- ^ McCormick, Myles; Fedor, Lauren; Smyth, Jamie (November 15, 2024). "Oil boss Chris Wright leads race to be Donald Trump's energy secretary". Financial Times. Retrieved November 16, 2024.
- ^ Natter, Ali (November 15, 2024). "Fracking Boss Picks Up Endorsements to Be Trump Energy Secretary". Bloomberg News. Retrieved November 16, 2024.
- ^ "Donald Trump said he would nominate Chris Wright, the chief executive of Liberty Energy, an oil field services company, as his secretary of energy". The New York Times. November 16, 2024.
- ^ a b News, A. B. C. "What to know about Trump's energy secretary nominee Chris Wright". Retrieved 2024-11-17.
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