President-elect Donald J. Trump tapped Chris Wright, chief executive of Liberty Energy, a Denver-based fracking company, as his choice for secretary of energy.
Mr. Wright, who calls himself “a tech nerd turned entrepreneur,” is a media-friendly evangelist for fossil fuels who promotes a feel-good message that oil and gas can lift people out of poverty, while disparaging climate science.
In a video posted LinkedIn last year, Mr. Wright declared, “There is no climate crisis, and we’re not in the midst of an energy transition either.”
Mr. Wright, who has no government experience, caught the attention of Mr. Trump in part through his appearances on Fox News. He also appears frequently on podcasts and social media videos, often using language and imagery associated with progressive causes to link oil and gas with things like the fight for women’s equality.
Mr. Trump announced Mr. Wright’s appointment in a statement and praised him as a “leading technologist and entrepreneur in energy.” He said in addition to leading the Energy Department, Mr. Wright also would be a member of the newly-formed council of national energy.
“He has worked in nuclear, solar, geothermal and oil and gas,” Mr. Trump wrote referring to Mr. Wright. “Most significantly, Chris was one of the pioneers who helped launch the American shale revolution that fueled American energy independence, and transformed the global energy markets and geopolitics.”
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