Chris Wright (energy executive)

American energy executive

Christopher Allen Wright[1] is an American energy businessman. He is the chief executive of Liberty Energy. 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
Nominee
Assuming office
TBD
PresidentDonald Trump
SucceedingJennifer Granholm
Personal details
Political partyRepublican
Alma mater

In November 2024, President-elect Donald Trump nominated Wright to be the United States Secretary of Energy under his second administration.

Personal life

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Wright grew up in Colorado. He studied at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and at the University of California, Berkeley.[3]

Climate change views

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In 2019 Wright drank fracking fluid to prove that it was not dangerous.[4] In January 2023, he said, "There is no climate crisis and we're not in the midst of an energy transition either".[5] He claimed that the climate movement around the world was "collapsing under its own weight."[3]

Business career

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In 1992, Wright founded Pinnacle Technologies, a company focused in commercial shale gas production through fracking. He was its CEO until 2006. He was also chairman of Stroud Energy,[6] and he sold the company in 2006.[7] In 2011, he founded Liberty Energy.[8]

Secretary of Energy

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In November 2024, the Financial Times reported that Wright was the most likely candidate for United States Secretary of Energy for Donald Trump's second presidency.[9] Many business groups, executives and lobbyists supported Wright for the nomination such as businessman Harold Hamm.[10]

On November 16 2024, President-elect Trump announced he would nominate Wright as the secretary of energy.[11]

References

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  1. Report of proposed sale of securities (Report). Securities and Exchange Commission. August 9, 2023. Retrieved November 16, 2024.
  2. "Christopher A Wright "Chris"". Bloomberg News. Retrieved November 16, 2024.
  3. 3.0 3.1 "Trump names fossil fuel executive Chris Wright as energy secretary". AP News. 2024-11-16. Retrieved 2024-11-16.
  4. "Trump picks oil industry CEO Chris Wright as Energy Secretary". Reuters. November 16, 2024. Retrieved November 16, 2024.
  5. Samuelsohn, Darren. "Donald Trump to nominate industry CEO Chris Wright to be secretary of Energy". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2024-11-16.
  6. "Stroud Exploration Company, LLC". Stroud Exploration Company, LLC. Retrieved 2024-11-18.
  7. "Liberty Energy Leadership". Liberty Energy. Archived from the original on October 6, 2024. Retrieved November 16, 2024.
  8. "Home". Liberty Energy. 2024-11-13. Retrieved 2024-11-18.
  9. 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.
  10. Natter, Ali (November 15, 2024). "Fracking Boss Picks Up Endorsements to Be Trump Energy Secretary". Bloomberg News. Retrieved November 16, 2024.
  11. "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.