Wright is a frequent Republican donor and will serve on Trump’s newly formed Council of National Energy

President-Elect Donald Trump has chosen a Colorado energy CEO, Chris Wright, who heads up one of the world’s largest fracking operations, Liberty Oilfield Services, to lead the U.S. Department of Energy.

Wright will replace Gov. Jennifer Granholm, the current energy secretary appointed by President Joe Biden in 2020. Wright is a frequent Republican donor and will serve on Trump’s newly formed Council of National Energy, which will be headed up by North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, Trump’s pick for Secretary of the Interior.

In statements since the election, Trump said his administration will focus on “energy dominance,” with an eye toward driving down costs, winning technology arms races with China and others, and expanding American soft power to end wars across the world.

Where Granholm focused on the Biden administration’s goals of achieving net zero carbon dioxide by 2050, Wright has a history of making climate skeptical remarks, drank fracking liquid on camera in 2019, and said the country is not in the midst of an energy transition.

In a statement after his nomination, Wright said he will further the mission of providing reliable and affordable energy to the U.S. and beyond. Trump called Wright a pioneer of the shale gas revolution in the U.S., which led to a boost in natural gas production via hydraulic fracturing extraction.

In his public statements, Wright says that oil and gas companies are voluntarily cutting their greenhouse gas emissions. At an oil and gas conference in August 2021, he said his industry had achieved the largest gross reduction of any industry thanks to investments in safer pipelines, cutting gas flares and better detection of methane leaks.

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