US Sens. Capito, Justice vote to confirm Wright as energy secretary

“Chris Wright understands the need to unleash American energy and bring down costs," said Capito, chair of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. "He also recognizes the critical role that West Virginia will have in restoring our nation’s energy dominance — something we discussed during our recent meeting."

Wright previously served as chief executive of the Colorado-based fracking company Liberty Energy.

"I was proud to vote to confirm Mr. Wright to lead the Department of Energy, and I look forward to working with him and the Trump administration to cut red tape and advance solutions that will strengthen our energy sector and provide vital jobs,” Capito said.

Justice, a member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy, posted a message on social media Monday evening. 

"Energy independence is non-negotiable for a strong, secure America," he said. "Like @POTUS and myself, Chris Wright knows the path to true energy security begins with unleashing West Virginia’s full potential. We are the key to unlocking America’s energy dominance."

During Wright's Senate confirmation hearing, Justice asked the nominee whether he supports “embracing all the energy sources.”

Wright said he and Trump share the view that “energy is not just a sector of the economy; it is the economy.”

“Energy is core — it’s central,” Wright said. “We want energy from all sources we can that can add to the pile of affordable, reliable, secure American energy.”

In November, Jim Crews, current board chair of the Gas and Oil Association of West Virginia, told WV News that Wright had been scheduled to speak during the organization's annual Winter Meeting at the end of February.

“His company provides frack services to some of largest customers, including Antero and now Expand Energy, which was Chesapeake and Southwestern,” Crews said. “So they’re pretty active in the northern part of West Virginia.”

Crews said he expects Wright to champion policies and initiatives tailored toward meeting the oil and gas industry’s needs.

“We’re always happy about an oil and gas man having the top job,” he said. “You can probably be certain that you won’t see any regulations coming from him that are detrimental to the industry.”

Several energy trade associations and groups released statements following Wright's confirmation.

The Electric Power Supply Association congratulated Wright, along with recently confirmed leaders of the Department of the Interior and the Environmental Protection Agency, Doug Burgum and Lee Zeldin.

"We look forward to working with them to advance policies that enable infrastructure development and ensure Americans have access to reliable and cost-effective energy to meet the demands of a growing and evolving economy," Electric Power Supply Association President and CEO Todd Snitchler said.

"America's nuclear professionals stand ready to help make nuclear technology a key contributor to U.S. energy abundance and economic prosperity,” a statement from the American Nuclear Society said.

Trump has pledged to promote domestic energy production. He signed an executive order shortly after taking office aimed at advancing his promise to “Make America Affordable and Energy Dominant Again.”

“This will restore American prosperity — including for those men and women who have been forgotten by our economy in recent years,” Trump wrote in one of the orders. “It will also rebuild our nation’s economic and military security, which will deliver peace through strength.”

Among the executive orders related to energy policy signed by Trump:

• Declaring a national energy emergency.
• Directing federal agencies to suspend, revise or rescind policies that restrict energy production.
• Terminating the Biden administration’s electric vehicle mandate.
• Promoting American energy production to lower costs for families.
• Withdrawing from the Paris Climate Treaty.