Senate confirms Chris Wright to lead Energy Department
Maydeen Merino | February 3, 2025 | 6:36 pmThe Senate confirmed Chris Wright to lead the Department of Energy, where he will play a key role in pursuing the administration’s goals of lowering energy prices and boosting oil production.
Wright, confirmed Monday evening in a 59-38 vote, was the founder and CEO of the oil service firm Liberty Energy. Wright will oversee the nation’s energy infrastructure and use of clean energy technologies. The Trump administration has promised to boost oil production to lower energy prices.
Wright, 59, will also be responsible for ensuring the nation’s electric grid can withstand the growing energy demand from artificial intelligence and data centers.
“Chris Wright understands that affordable, abundant energy is imperative to our national security,” Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) said on the Senate floor on Monday. “We must rebuild trust with the American people and secure our place as the dominant global energy leader.”
Lee chairs the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, where Wright received bipartisan support from its members. Wright received a fairly friendly confirmation hearing last month, where he highlighted his approach to energy policy.
“The only way you can drive down the price of a critical commodity is to grow the supply,” Wright told lawmakers at his confirmation hearing. “I’m 100% committed to growing our electricity grid and our energy production and removing those barriers that are standing in the way.” . . .
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/policy/energy-and-environment/3309239/senate-confirms-chris-wright-lead-energy-department/