Trump appoints oil services CEO as energy secretary

After his victory in the US presidential election Donald Trump now also his choice for the future energy minister announced.

The fracking entrepreneur and climate change skeptic Chris Wright from Colorado will take over the office when Trump replaces incumbent Joe Biden in January, according to a statement on Saturday. The boss and founder of the oil service provider Liberty Energy should cut bureaucracy to boost investments in fossil fuels, said Trump.

Chris Wright: “There is no climate crisis”

If the Senate follows Trump’s proposal, Wright would likely initiate a shift in US climate policy towards fossil fuels. “There is no climate crisis, and we are not in a transition when it comes to energy,” he said in a video on LinkedIn last year. Wright caused a stir in 2019 when he drank fracking fluid in front of the camera to demonstrate his postulated harmlessness. He compared the Democrats’ fight against global warming to Soviet communism.

Wright will also become a member of the newly created National Energy Council, Trump announced. According to US media reports, he is said to be supported by influential conservatives, including the oil and gas tycoon Harold Hammhas been proposed to head the Department of Energy. The Energy Council is intended to coordinate all aspects of energy production and use in the United States and advance the goal of “energy dominance.”

Trump is putting pressure on

Trump called the US energy secretary-designate “one of the pioneers who helped launch the American shale revolution” that contributed to US energy independence. Wright himself said on the online service X that he would focus on “making American energy more affordable, reliable and secure.”

Trump has already caused a sensation with his outstanding personalities. Ministerial positions usually have to be confirmed by the Senate. Several Republicans in the chamber have already said they have some questions for the candidates. However, Trump is putting pressure on his party colleagues in the Senate to circumvent the complex confirmation process through an exception.

Under Biden, the country’s oil production reached a record

In the USA, the Department of Energy is responsible, among other things, for the country’s energy policy in relation to foreign countries, manages the strategic petroleum reserves and operates funding and loan programs. The minister also oversees nuclear weapons, is responsible for the disposal of nuclear waste and runs 17 laboratories. Under Biden, the country’s oil production reached a record. It is uncertain whether this could be increased under Trump. Electricity consumption in the USA is increasing for the first time in two decades, driven by artificial intelligence, electric vehicles and cryptocurrencies.

Fracking involves extracting natural gas contained in layers of the earth using chemicals and pressure. The method has been used intensively in the USA for years, which has led to a massive increase in gas production there. It is highly controversial because of the high environmental risks.

Trump announced that his lawyer William Scharf would be given a position in the White House

Scharf is supposed to coordinate the flow of documents to the president, filter information and ensure that only relevant and coordinated topics reach Trump’s desk.

Sharp defended Trump in the criminal proceedings in connection with attempted election fraud and the storming of the US Capitol on January 6, 2021. He played an important role in Trump’s success before the Supreme Court on the issue of immunity. Trump wants to give several of his lawyers high-level government jobs.