The Senate confirmed that Chris Wright would lead the US Energy Bureau on Monday, and put a former petroleum executive in an important position to form Trump's energy policy.
Light, the founder and highest executive of Liberty Energy, a flacking company, was confirmed by 59-38 voting, supporting all Republican members and a small number of Democrats. He will be the 17th Secretary of Energy created in 1977.
Light said in a confirmation hearing that “unraveling” domestic energy production, including liquefied natural gas and nuclear power, was the highest priority. He also told the Democratic Party that climate change was a “global challenge we need to solve,” and believes that it supports the development of renewable energy such as wind and solar power.
At the same time, Light said that he would make an effort to support Trump's “bold” energy agenda. The president has frequently rejected climate change as a hoax, fighting style, and solar power, and wants to expand the use of petroleum, gas and coal.
The energy department plays a central role in the development of new energy technology. The agency is a powerful loan office that supports dozens of low -carbon energy projects, including two giant reactors, a battery factory in Ohio and Tennessee, and two giant reactors, and 17 national research. We supervise the network of the research institute.
Light also supervised the approval of the liquefied gas export terminal, and the Biden administration was angry and tried to slow down industry groups. Mr. Trump has already ordered to resume reviewing export facilities proposed to the energy department.
The energy department is a vast organization. Approximately 80 % of the budget of $ 52 billion in the department per year is to maintain national nuclear weapons, eliminate the environment from the Cold War, and conduct research in areas such as high -energy physics.
Under the Biden administration, the department has actively supported new clean energy technology such as advanced nuclear power, strengthening geothermal energy, green hydrogen fuel, and next -generation batteries. Supported by new funds from Congress, it issue tens of millions of loans, issuing subsidies to all things, from companies that manufacture low carbon cement to electricity companies building new power lines. did.
In his confirmation hearing, Light refused to mainly find out how he operates the department.
Some conservative groups have encouraged Right to redistribute or shutter the government agency's loan program office. Under the Biden administration, the office mined, restarted the shuttered nuclear plant, and more than $ 60.6 billion of loans and loans to companies that convert wind and solar power to hydrogen fuel. Is completed. In addition, $ 47 billion was issued with a conditional loan with an unstoppable condition.
As of January 17, 160 companies were seeking a loan and loan warranty of over $ 200 billion. However, since Trump took office, most of the work in the loan office has been paused, and it is unknown what will happen to those applications.
Most of the major environmental organizations and many Democrats have said that the risks of the warming planet opposed the confirmation of Light. In a 2023 social media post, Light wrote: “There is no climate crisis and it is not in the middle of the energy transition.” Last year's podcast said that climate change would have a modest effect from two or three generations from now on. “
With podcasts and speeches, Light frequently makes moral claims of fossil fuels, and the poorest people in the world are oil, gas, to enjoy the advantages of modern life that is commonplace. It claims that access to coal is necessary.
Nevertheless, some Senate Democratic Party joined the Republican members by voting to approve of Light's nomination. Ruben Galego in Arizona, Michael Bennett, Colorado, John Hicken Rooper, Maggie Hassan and Jeanne Shahine in New Hampshire, Ben Ray Luhan and Martin Heinrich in New Mexico, and usually the Democratic Party and Coat. And the independent Angus King is included from the main existing Caucuses.
“I don't agree with Light about many issues, but he promised to cooperate with us sincerely,” said Heinrich last month. He talked about issues such as building.
Light graduated from Massachusetts Institute of Technology and graduated from a solar energy graduate at California University Berkeley. In 1992, he established Pinnacle Technologies to create software to measure the movement of fluids under the surface of the earth. This software has helped to bring the commercial shale gas revolution.
Light launched Liberty Energy in 2011, and has cooperated with other people on geothermal energy and small module reactors.
Light has 2.6 million shares at the company, worth about $ 47 million on Monday. In a written statement to the Senate, he resigned from free energy and promised to sell his own shares within 90 days of confirmation. According to his ethics agreement, he will pay the last bonus from the company in March.
Lisa Friedman Contributed report.
