How Chris Wright could influence states’ views on energy policy By EPN Staff Colorado’s Chris Wright, one of the nation’s top advocates for leveraging energy access to combat poverty, is set to lead the U.S. Department of Energy after being nominated to serve in the post during President Donald Trump’s second term. Wright, founder and chief executive officer of Liberty Energy, has spent more than 30 years in the energy industry and is widely regarded as a proponent of greater access to affordable energy – including fossil fuels – as a means for improving lives, and for his leadership in advocating for energy policy driven by facts and data. His views are likely to influence state policy actions and reshape discussions around environmental justice, energy access and affordability. Why it matters Wright supports increasing responsible American energy production, as he said at his Senate confirmation hearing last week. He has spent years using data to push back on the common narrative of a “climate crisis” and has emphasized reframing the progressive argument of environmental, social and governance (ESG) policy to amplify the importance of energy access for improving lives in the U.S. and abroad. “It’s real. Climate change is real,” Wright said at a 2022 Common Sense Society conference. “There’s data behind it. But calling it a crisis, calling it a justification to make energy more expensive and less reliable, is simply dishonest.” He has pointed out fossil fuels have driven agricultural production, economic growth and life expectancy, and societal and economic advances continue to drive greater energy demands. In recent decades, government mandates and trillions of dollars have barely reduced global hydrocarbon use; they have, however, driven up electricity prices and driven down grid reliability. The bigger picture The nonprofit Bettering Human Lives Foundation, founded by Wright, reported in 2024 that hydrocarbons account for more than 80 percent of global energy and that climate change, while real, is “far from the world’s greatest threat to human life.” More than 2 billion people use open fires that burn wood, dung and agricultural waste in their homes for cooking and heating, which contributes to an estimated 3.2 million deaths from household air pollution per year, according to the World Health Organization. “This is a crisis,” Wright said at the conference. He noted these problems can be addressed through greater access to affordable, reliable and cleaner fuel options, such as a small propane stove and liquid propane canisters. Under this approach, the U.S. is uniquely positioned to lead – at home, and around the world – in expanding energy access and prioritizing reliability and affordability. More details The self-described “tech nerd turned entrepreneur” earned degrees at MIT, where he focused on fusion energy, and UC Berkeley, where he focused on solar energy. He began his professional career by founding Pinnacle Technologies, which applied a data-driven approach to mapping shale gas production and hydraulic fracturing, and has also concentrated on geothermal energy. “I don’t care where energy comes from,” he said. “It just has to be affordable, reliable and help lift humans out of poverty and better their lives. That’s what should matter.”
