Washington, D.C. — Today, the U.S. Senate voted to confirm Chris Wright as U.S. Energy Secretary, who has raised serious concerns about the future of responsible investing, the clean energy economy, and America’s financial security during his nomination process.
In response, Unlocking America’s Future Spokesperson Kyle Herrig said the following:
“Chris Wright’s confirmation is a blow to America’s clean energy future and financial security. As a staunch climate denier, Wright will steer us away from responsible investing and undermine the clean energy economy at a time when bold action is needed to combat the climate crisis. Trump’s agenda prioritizes fossil fuel interests over sustainable progress, jeopardizing long-term economic stability and the health of our planet under a loyalist like Wright. This is not leadership—it’s a reckless gamble with America’s future.”
Additional Background:
- Wright has been one of the most outspoken opponents of the SEC’s climate risk disclosure rule, which aims to provide investors transparency into companies’ greenhouse gas emissions and their climate-related risks. In March 2024, Wright’s company Liberty Energy filed a lawsuit against the SEC in an attempt to stop the rule from taking effect.
- He currently sits on the Board of Directors of the Pacific Research Institute, an anti-climate science advocacy organization that has been a vehicle for Big Oil’s attacks against responsible investing in recent years and pushes misleading campaigns about the dangers of the climate crisis.
- At a public event in November, Wright called critics of Big Oil “nuts” and falsely claimed “there’s no dirty energy, there’s no clean energy, there’s no good stuff, there’s no bad stuff.”
