Following the announcement of oil CEO and climate change denier Chris Wright to lead the Department of Energy, experts, policymakers, and advocates are sounding the alarm. President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for energy secretary, they say, is a disastrous mistake that will create a wave of setbacks for the American consumer and environment. Meanwhile, dark money advocacy groups that lobby for Big Oil billionaires, like the American Petroleum Institute, are applauding the move.
At a public event two weeks ago, 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.”
Lawmakers and experts are shining a light on Wright’s agenda to empower oil and gas billionaires at the expense of our planet and Americans:
- “Trump asked for a billion dollars and Big Oil CEO Harold Hamm asked for Chris Wright. As we fight for our clean energy future, they’re putting a fossil in charge.” – U.S. Senator Ed Markey (MA)
- “Chris Wright is a science-denying, self-serving, sanctimonious fracker who consistently puts the wants of energy producers over the needs of American energy consumers. To put him in charge of the Department of Energy is to fulfill the dreams of every fossil fuel company that hopes to boost their profits by raising energy costs for Americans.” – U.S. Rep. Sean Casten (IL-06)
- ”Chris Wright is a climate denier who has profited off of polluting our communities and endangering our health and future. So, of course Donald Trump finds him fit to lead the Department of Energy, where he’ll be hell-bent on abusing his power to prolong the use of deadly fossil fuels.” – Ben Jealous, Sierra Club
- “Given the devastating impacts of climate-fueled disasters, the DOE’s core mission of researching and promoting cleaner energy solutions is more important now than ever. Putting a champion of dirty fossil fuels in as the leader of the department would be a disastrous mistake.” – Jackie Wong, Natural Resources Defense Council
- “It is not surprising, but still appalling that Trump’s pick for Secretary of Energy is a climate-denying Big Oil executive. With no experience in government, Wright will be primed to continue Trump’s and Project 2025’s extreme agenda of prioritizing Big Polluters over our families, communities, consumers, and the environment.” – Tiernan Sittenfeld, League of Conservation Voters
- ”Donald Trump’s nomination of Chris Wright—a top donor and fossil fuel executive who denies the climate crisis—to lead the Department of Energy reveals his true priorities. Instead of delivering for American families, Trump is focused on rewarding his wealthy backers.” – Lena Moffitt, Evergreen Action
