Donald Trump’s future energy secretary already drank fracking fluid

Donald Trump continues to build his future cabinet: This weekend, the US President-elect nominated fracking entrepreneur and climate policy critic Chris Wright for the post of Energy Minister.

The head of Liberty Energy should cut bureaucracy to boost investments in fossil fuels, Trump said on Saturday. “As Secretary of Energy, Chris will provide critical leadership, driving innovation, cutting red tape and ushering in a new ‘Golden Age of American prosperity and world peace.’

Wright is in favor of promoting fossil fuels and has been critical of the global climate movement in the past. “There is no climate crisis, and we are not in a state of transition when it comes to energy,” he said in a video on Linkedin last year. There is also no such thing as clean or dirty energy, he added. “All energy sources have both positive and negative impacts on the world.”

Wright caused a stir in 2019 when he drank fracking fluid in front of the camera to demonstrate his postulated harmlessness.

According to US media reports, he is said to have been recommended by influential conservatives, including oil and gas tycoon Harold Hamm, to head the Energy Department. The Energy Council is intended to coordinate all aspects of energy production and use in the United States and advance the “goal of energy dominance.”

During fracking, crude oil or natural gas contained in layers of the earth, known as shale gas, is extracted using chemicals and pressure. The method has been used intensively in the USA for years, which has led to a massive increase in gas production there. However, it is highly controversial because of the high environmental risks.

Trump called the US energy secretary-designate “one of the pioneers who helped launch the American shale revolution” that contributed to US energy independence.

Wright himself said on the online service X that he would focus on “making American energy more affordable, reliable and secure.”

During the election campaign, Trump announced that he would cut government funding for so-called renewable technologies and massively expand the support of fossil fuels in the USA. The slogan “Drill, baby drill” has been handed down from the election campaign, i.e. a call for drilling for oil and gas.

The US is expected to withdraw from the Paris climate agreement again under Trump, as it did during his first term in office.

Wright will serve on the National Energy Council announced by Trump. This will be led by the designated Secretary of the Interior, Doug Burgum. According to Trump, the goal is to expand all forms of energy production and restore the United States’ “amazing oil and gas advantage.”

In the USA, the Department of Energy is responsible, among other things, for the country’s energy policy in relation to foreign countries, manages the strategic petroleum reserves and operates funding and loan programs. The minister also oversees nuclear weapons, is responsible for the disposal of nuclear waste and runs 17 laboratories.

Under outgoing Democratic President Joe Biden, the country’s oil production hit a record. It is therefore uncertain whether this can be increased further under the Republican Trump and Wright as Energy Secretary. Electricity consumption in the USA is increasing for the first time in two decades, driven by artificial intelligence, electric vehicles and cryptocurrencies.

Since his victory in the presidential election, Trump has already put together a large part of his future cabinet. He relies primarily on loyal followers, some of whom have little to no experience in the government apparatus.