Trump has nominated Chris Wright to lead the US Department of Energy. Wright operates a oil & gas fracking service company located in Colorado - Liberty Energy. $Liberty Energy (LBRT.US)$Wright is the CEO of Liberty Energy, like many others chosen by Trump, Wright has no prior experience working in Washington. Instead, he has gained fame for his support of oil and gas, stating that fossil fuels are crucial for spreading prosperity and helping people escape poverty. Wright also stated that the threat of global warming is overstated, which is sure to anger green lobbying groups and progressives worldwide.

"Chris has always been a leading technical expert and entrepreneur in the energy sector," Trump said in a statement last Saturday. "He has worked in nuclear energy, cecep solar energy, geothermal energy, and oil & gas. Most importantly, Chris is one of the pioneers who helped initiate the us shale revolution, which propelled America’s energy independence and changed the global energy market and geopolitics."

In response to the nomination, Wright said on X: "I remain steadfastly committed to improving human lives, focusing on making us energy more affordable, reliable, and secure. Energy is the source of life; it makes everything in life possible. Energy is vital. I look forward to getting to work."

Trump stated that if Wright is approved, he will also join the newly established national energy council, which will be chaired by Doug Burgum, the leader of the interior department nominated by Trump.

The mission of the energy department is multifaceted, including helping to maintain the nation’s nuclear warheads, researching supercomputers, and maintaining the hundreds of millions of barrels of crude oil product reserves in the USA (Wright's appointment likely means that the USA will strongly enhance the replenishment of the strategic oil reserves). The energy department also plays a key role in approving liquefied natural gas export projects, which were paused during Biden's administration. Trump vowed to lift this pause.

Although the department has little power in oil & gas development, Wright is expected to play a leading role in helping Trump implement his energy priorities.

Wright's company is one of the largest fracturing service providers globally. Trump's selection of Wright is a show of support for this popular oil & gas extraction method, which Trump often touted during his campaign to attack his democratic opponent Harris, who had vowed to ban fracturing, although she later changed her position on the issue.

According to foreign media reports, Wright's company published a 180-page paper this year, arguing that climate change "is far from the biggest threat to human life on earth," and that hydrocarbons are crucial for improving the wealth, health, and life opportunities of those suffering from energy shortages.

"The climate crisis does not exist. We are also not in a period of energy transition," Wright said in a video posted on his LinkedIn page. "Without carbon dioxide, human beings and all complex life on earth could not exist at all, so the term carbon pollution is absurd."

Wright holds engineering degrees from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the University of California, Berkeley. He describes himself on his company website in Denver as "a tech nerd turned entrepreneur and enthusiastic humanitarian."

With the support of Harold Hamm, chairman of Continental Resources, Trump appointed Wright; Hamm is Trump's energy advisor and donor. Hamm stated in an interview with the industry publication Hart Energy that Wright was his choice.

If confirmed by Congress, Wright will play a leading role in Trump fulfilling his campaign promise and declaring a national energy emergency. Trump believes such a declaration will help increase domestic energy production, including electrical utilities, which he said is necessary to meet the burgeoning power needs of ai.

During Trump's first term, the Department of Energy played a key role in revitalizing American coal power, and he has hinted at a possible attempt to pursue this initiative again. Wright will also oversee Trump's commitment to replenish the national emergency crude oil product.

The Biden administration unprecedentedly reduced the strategic petroleum reserve by 0.18 billion barrels following the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, reaching its lowest point since the 1980s. The reserve has a capacity of over 0.7 billion barrels.

Wright has warned that subsidies for wind energy and cecep solar energy would drive up electricity prices and increase instability in the power grid, but he does support alternative energy.

He said during an interview with Bloomberg Television in 2022: “I am not here to protect the market share of oil & gas. We should do credible things, which are mainly driven by market forces. However, subsidizing wind energy and cecep solar energy, which account for 3% of the global energy, will not significantly change greenhouse gas emissions; it will only drive up electricity prices.”

Liberty Energy is a global mining royalty usage fee company.$EMX Royalty Corp (EMX.CA)$director of the board of EMX Royalty corp(EMX.CA), according to his company profile, his company is an investor in geothermal energy and sodium-ion battery technology. Liberty is also a developer of small modular reactor. $Oklo Inc (OKLO.US)$ board member of the company.

Editor/Rocky