Christopher Allen Wright[1] is an American energy executive who is the chief executive of Liberty Energy. He is the presumptive nominee for United States Secretary of Energy under Donald Trump's second presidency, and would 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]
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 | |
Career
editIn 1992, he founded Pinnacle Technologies, a company involved in commercial shale gas production. Wright served as the CEO of Pinnacle Technologies until 2006. Chris was also chairman of Stroud Energy, another company involved in the production of shale gas, before he sold the company in 2006.[3] In 2011, Wright founded Liberty Energy. As of February 2023, the company was valued at US$2.8 billion, according to The Wall Street Journal.[4]
Wright drank fracking fluid to attempt to prove that it was not dangerous in 2019.[5] 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".[4][6] Wright claimed that the climate movement around the world was "collapsing under its own weight." [7]
Secretary of Energy
editOn 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 in consideration.[8] He received several endorsements from Trump allies, including American Energy Alliance president Thomas Pyle and Continental Resources chairman Harold Hamm.[9] The following day, Trump announced he would nominate Wright as the Secretary of Energy.[10]
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.
- ^ "Liberty Energy Leadership". Liberty Energy. 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.
- ^ Samuelsohn, Darren. "Donald Trump to nominate industry CEO Chris Wright to be secretary of Energy". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2024-11-16.
- ^ "Trump names fossil fuel executive Chris Wright as energy secretary". AP News. 2024-11-16. 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.