5 Things to Know About Chris Wright, Trump’s Energy Nominee

President-elect Donald Trump announced on Nov. 16 that he would nominate Chris Wright to lead the Department of Energy in his second term.

Wright, a private sector energy executive, is on track to fill one of the most critical roles in Trump’s second term, after the president-elect promised to massively increase American energy production during his second term to combat inflation.

Here’s what you should know about the nominee.

1. He’s an MIT Grad

Wright was born and raised in Colorado, and is still based in Denver.

Wright studied at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), among the nation’s most elite STEM-focused institutions, from 1982 to 1985, according to his LinkedIn page.

After receiving a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the school, Wright briefly studied at the University of California in 1985.

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He ultimately returned to MIT to complete his graduate work in electrical engineering, graduating in 1987.

2. He Was a Major Player in the ‘Shale Revolution’

A few years after he graduated from MIT, Wright formed Pinnacle Technologies, serving as its founder and CEO from 1992 until 2006.

Wright played a leading role in the “Shale Revolution,” which describes the period in the late 1990s and into the 2000s when technological developments made the extraction of energy from deposits of shale economically feasible.

In the 2000s and moving into the 2010s, Wright played a pivotal role in improving the technology for hydraulic fracturing, better known by the term “fracking.”

While Wright isn’t commonly considered the most important player in the move toward shale drilling—that accolade belongs to businessman George P. Mitchell, the “father of fracking”—he did engineer innovations that vastly increased the cost-effectiveness of the method.

Trump cited Wright’s energy innovations as a leading motive for the nomination, writing in a statement, “Chris was one of the pioneers who helped launch the American Shale Revolution that fueled American Energy Independence.”

3. He’s a Political Outsider

Just like Trump prior to his presidential run in 2016, Wright is a political outsider who’s never served in a post outside the private sector.

According to his LinkedIn profile, he was the chairman of Stroud Energy from 2000 to 2006, intersecting with his time at Pinnacle Technologies.

He’s served as the chairman and CEO of Liberty Energy, a firm he founded, since May 2011. He’s also in executive positions for several companies under the firm’s umbrella, including Liberty Resources and Liberty Midstream Solutions.

The parent company describes its mission as “a relentless focus on developing and delivering next generation technology for the sustainable development of unconventional energy resources.”

While he has never worked outside the private sector, Wright hasn’t been politically inactive, having appeared before congressional panels and using his position to argue in favor of fossil fuel-based energy. He’s written on the importance of fossil fuel production in lifting people out of poverty.

4. He’s Skeptical of Climate Alarmism

Wright is also an outspoken critic of the climate action agenda.

In a January 2023 video he posted to LinkedIn, Wright said, “There is no climate crisis, and we’re not in the midst of an energy transition, either.”

He called the terms—including “climate crisis,” “energy transition,” “carbon pollution,” “clean energy,” and “dirty energy”—“deceptive, alarmist marketing terms.”

He also gained fame for a March 2020 video he posted online in which he and his team drank fracking fluid to show that it was safe.

5. He’s ‘All In’ on Ramping Up Energy Production

Wright has described himself as “all in” on ramping up energy production from all sources, including both traditional and renewable energy.

“I am all in on energy from my start in nuclear, solar, and geothermal to my current efforts in oil and gas and next generation geothermal,” Wright said in the “About” section of his LinkedIn profile. “I don’t care where energy comes, as long as it is secure, reliable, affordable and betters human lives.”

He has also published an extensive report, titled “Bettering Human Lives,” which makes the case that affordable energy is a primary way to lift people out of poverty.

This attitude aligns him closely with Trump, who made the promise to “Drill, baby, drill,” a key pillar of his campaign.

Should Wright win confirmation to the post by the Senate, he‘ll be responsible for overseeing not only U.S. energy policy, but also innovation and infrastructure related to energy. He’d also be responsible for overseeing the U.S. nuclear weapons stockpile, which falls under the purview of the Department of Energy.