Trump's Energy Department pick calls for more LNG and Nuclear Power
Chris Wright, the nominee of Donald Trump to lead the U.S. Energy Department will tell U.S. Senators during his confirmation hearing Wednesday that his top priority is increasing domestic energy production, including liquefied gas and nuclear energy.
Wright, 59 years old, believes that fossil fuels will end world poverty. This is a bigger problem than the "distant threat" of climate change, according to an article he wrote in his capacity as CEO of Liberty Energy, an oilfield services firm.
Wright is in favor of some fossil fuel alternatives. These include small nuclear reactors that are not yet available commercially, as well as geothermal energy. He has criticised solar and wind energy as being insufficient.
Wright, who will speak to the Senate Energy Committee on Tuesday, has prepared remarks that have been reviewed by.
To compete on a global scale, we need to expand our energy production including commercial nuclear, liquefied gas and liquefied petroleum gases, as well as reduce the cost of energy.
The shale gas boom will help the U.S. achieve a record for exports of liquefied gas in 2023. This is a super-chilled form of natural gases that can be exported. The U.S. produces more oil than any country has ever produced.
Wright is expected to gain a majority of the 100 members in the Senate, which is now under Republican control. He will resign from Liberty after being confirmed. Wright will replace Jennifer Granholm who has urged caution over the issuance new LNG export permits. She said that unfettered LNG exports would increase emissions of gases attributed to climate change, and could raise fuel prices for home owners and manufacturers.
After meeting Wright, the top Democrat in the committee, Martin Heinrich from fossil fuel producing New Mexico, the two agreed the Energy Department must "speed up the expansion of interregional infrastructure to meet the skyrocketing demands for clean energy across the nation."
Heinrich told Wright that he expressed his concern about Trump's plans to "clawback programs" in order to undo the progress made in creating a cleaner, more affordable, and healthier energy future and the jobs it brings.
Wright will work with Doug Burgum (Trump's nominee as interior secretary) to create a new energy advisory council.
Wright will say that the U.S. needs to remove obstacles in order to make progress with energy. Trump, the Republican who will take office on January 20, could declare a national emergency. This would allow him to expedite permits for new energy infrastructure and other projects.
This move would be in line with Trump's plan to increase energy production as U.S. demand for power begins to rise, the first time since decades. It would also reverse Biden's decision to halt approvals of LNG imports.
Biden signed a landmark climate change law that included billions of dollars for alternative energy projects. Congress has yet to pass the necessary legislation to build transmission infrastructure to transport huge amounts of energy from high-tech projects such as renewables or planned new nuclear reactors. (Reporting and editing by Christian Schmollinger; Timothy Gardner)
(source: Reuters)
