Even with some tense questions about future fossil fuel development policy and past statements about climate change impacts during U.S. Senate hearings of the Trump Administration’s top energy and environment cabinet nominees , all three candidates appear headed for confirmation after mostly cordial exchanges on Jan. 15-16. .
Appearing before the Energy and Natural Resources Committee were Chris Wright, CEO of Denver-based energy company Liberty Energy, who is tapped to lead the U.S. Department of Energy, and former Dakota Gov. of the North Douglas Burgum, a candidate to head the US Department of the Interior and to possibly lead a new administrative entity called the National Energy Council; also Lee Zeldin, a former US lawmaker from New York, testified separately before the Environment and Public Works Committee.
Wright, who has a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from MIT and described himself as a “science geek turned tech nerd,” now runs a company that works primarily in oil and gas development, but said in his statement that he also has geothermal projects and “partnerships”. in next-generation nuclear power and new battery technologies.”
Beginning with a partisan dispute over some committee Democrats’ claim of late delivery of Wright’s background documents for review, newly elected West Virginia Republican Jim Justice noted the need to “embrace all forms of energy…but you’re living in a cave if I think we can live without fossil fuels.” He pointedly asked Wright if the DOE would support “all forms” of energy. Wright agreed, embracing continued LNG development, including a possible new East Coast gas export terminal near Philadelphia, but also noted concerns about the potential impact on U.S. gas prices from continuous exports. He also responded that support for carbon capture research for oil recovery would be a “resounding yes.”
In response to a request from Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.) to “refocus the DOE on baseload power supplies,” Wright said that “will be a top priority,” with “energy innovation” as ” the only way” to reduce carbon emissions.
While pointing to earlier research at MIT on the development of nuclear fusion, Wright acknowledged the growth in demand for fossil fuels, but “it’s proven to be very difficult to displace hydrocarbons globally,” noting the strong continued dependence on developing economies.
Wright emphasized the key role of energy in the American economy, but also said he was “aligned” with New Mexico Democrat Martin Heimlich when he insisted on his commitment to expanding the US transmission, much of it now related to connecting the growing number of home lots. and wind energy projects. But he was reprimanded when responding to Sen. Catherine Cortes Masto (D-Nev.) regarding the construction of the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste disposal site in the state, which is strongly opposed by residents. Wright said he would “work to find long-term removal strategies” but it was “too early to give details.”
Related to the development of nuclear power, Wright noted “the comfort with nuclear safety,” stating that the energy source accounts for “20 percent of US energy today.” He said the development of smaller modular reactors “can remove the cost barrier”.
In response to the committee’s concern about China’s growing nuclear development, Wright said that “the United States invented nuclear technology,” but acknowledged that if “the United States does not move quickly, others will fill the space “. He called for the construction of “more Uranium infrastructure in the United States,” but also said “there needs to be a better understanding” of the safety status of the DOE’s research in response to a concern from Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark .) to ensure that the agency’s laboratories “are” not compromised by [researchers] from other countries such as Russia and China”.
In a sharp exchange with California Senate Democrat Alex Padilla over Wright’s comments and social media posts that scientists claimed the biggest links between the state’s wildfire outbreak this year and climate change were “exaggerated,” the candidate said he “stands by” my earlier comments. ” but “will commit to releasing more unclassified DOE studies on the subject.
Wright also pledged to open up more of Alaska’s energy resources, including oil, gas and critical minerals, to development. The state is “a microcosm for the whole world, with lots of resources next to remote areas with little access,” he said, seeing more emphasis from the agency on geothermal energy development as well. The candidate also said he would support increased lithium production in Arkansas.
Wright also promised to “immediately engage” in an emerging DOE controversy related to a report by the agency’s inspector general calling for the suspension of advanced federal loans for clean energy manufacturing because of the claimed ” conflicts of interest” in the agency’s Office of Loan Programs related to the use of contractors. It now administers $385 billion in loans made under the Biden administration’s advanced clean energy manufacturing funding laws.
“Nothing is more important than the integrity of the lending process,” Wright said in response to questions about the lending agencies that Trump has threatened to end.
But as the hearing began, the bureau announced conditional loan guarantees totaling $22.9 billion for eight energy and gas projects aimed at utilities to reduce greenhouse gas emissions .
Wright also promised to divest his financial interests in energy companies such as Fervo, which is developing geothermal sites on federal land, and nuclear developer Oklo. “I have followed ethical business practices my entire life and will continue to at DOE,” he said.
Burgum: “Innovation over regulation”
Meanwhile, Burgum said that if confirmed, he would take an approach that encourages “innovation over regulation” and emphasized the need for increased oil and gas development to ensure transmission reliability in the United States . “Energy dominance is the foundation of American prosperity … and unparalleled energy security.”
While questioning from Democrats and Republicans on the committee was civil, with even Democrats expressing a desire to work productively with Burgum if confirmed, critics say his remarks underscored his commitment to an agenda that would decidedly friendlier to fossil fuels. interests than the previous administration.
America Fitzpatrick, director of the conservation program at the League of Conservation Voters, said that “prioritizing an energy policy that promotes risky drilling and oxymoronic ‘clean coal’ would be far more costly to consumers than more energy solutions cheap, fast and cleaner like wind, solar and geothermal.”
Former US congressman takes aim at ‘collaborative’ culture at EPA. Photo: ENR Committee of the Senate
EPA candidate Zeldin highlighted a record of bipartisanship while serving as a congressional representative from a New York City metropolitan district from 2015 to 2023, citing work across party lines to preserve Long Island Sound; his support for the Save Our Seas Act, a bipartisan bill to reduce plastic debris in coastal ecosystems; and his involvement with the Bipartisan Climate Solutions Caucus.
Claiming constituents take environmental issues “very seriously, I developed a track record in Congress, fighting hard and with great success advancing their local priorities,” he said. Zeldin added that if confirmed, he would foster a “collaborative culture” at the EPA to ensure that “we are protecting the environment while protecting the economy.”
But environmental groups and others have characterized him as a Trump loyalist who voted against the certification of the 2020 presidential results and against the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act or the Inflation Reduction Act. In his opening statement to the committee, Zeldin described Trump’s election victory as a “mandate to lead our nation to prosperity.”
Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) noted that Zeldin’s background as a paid consultant for oil and gas interests, many with ties to the Trump campaign, and his “paid anti-climate opinion pieces by dark money organizations do not give I have confidence that he will be an honest broker if he is confirmed to run the EPA.”
But when asked by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) about whether he agreed with the Trump campaign’s references to climate change as a “hoax,” rather than a real and pressing threat, Zeldin responded: “Senator, we urgently need to. , deal with these issues.”
The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee expected to advance the nominations of Wright and Burgum by the end of January. but it is unclear when a full Senate confirmation vote will occur.
Nominees for cabinet posts can be confirmed by a simple majority vote.
