Lawmakers questioned President-elect Trump's energy secretary Climate changeThe Los Angeles wildfires, and the Biden administration's green energy agenda during his nomination hearing, which saw disruptions from several climate protesters.
The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee held a confirmation hearing for Liberty Energy Inc. CEO Chris Wright. Who was chosen by Trump to head the committee. Department of EnergyOn Wednesday, which was also his birthday.
Trump's nominee was introduced by Democratic Senator John Hickenlooper of Colorado, who described him as an “unrestrained fossil fuel enthusiast.” Wright focused his responses on energy dominance, saying that climate change is a “real issue,” global energy demand, and his focus on growing energy resources.
“America has a historic opportunity to secure our energy systems, achieve leadership in scientific and technological innovation, manage our weapons stockpiles, and meet Cold War waste obligations,” Wright said in his opening remarks.
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Chris Wright speaks during a Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, January 15, 2025. (Al Drago/Getty Images)
Wright said he has identified three “immediate missions” where he will focus his attention, if confirmed: unleashing American energy, leading the world in technological innovations and breakthroughs, and increasing American production.
“President Trump shares my passion for energy, and if confirmed, I will work tirelessly to implement his bold agenda as an unabashed steward of all of America’s affordable, reliable, and safe energy sources,” Wright told the committee.
Republicans, such as Senator Steve Daines of Montana, raised their questions about the Biden administration's policies, such as banning liquefied natural gas exports, Regulations relating to household appliancesRecently, drilling was banned along the coast.
Several Democratic senators claimed that the committee's chairman, Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, scheduled the confirmation hearing before all required paperwork on Wright had been submitted to committee members. Other Democrats used their time in front of the microphone to claim that the Los Angeles fires were just that Caused by “climate change”.
President-elect Trump during a campaign rally at PPG Paints Arena on November 4, 2024, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Chip Somodevila/Getty Images)
“Despite the misinformation being circulated here at the Capitol, in California, and everywhere in between, it is clear that these fires are only reaching the size and scale that they have due to unusually dry vegetation and extremely high winds, both of which are a direct impact on Fires. “As a result of climate change,” Senator Alex Padilla, Democrat of California, said during the hearing.
In response to a question about the issue of climate change, Wright said he believes it is a “real issue.”
“I've studied and followed the data and the evolution of climate change for at least 20 years now. It's a global issue. It's a real issue. It's a difficult issue,” Wright said, adding that he believes in solving the problem. Climate change “is evolving our energy system.”
Fox News Digital captured footage of a number of climate change protesters disrupting Wright's hearing on Wednesday.
A protester holds a “Big Oil Profits Los Angeles Burns” sign as Chris Wright testifies during his confirmation hearing in the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee on Wednesday, January 15, 2025. (Bill Clark)
One protester stood up during Wright's questioning and asked if his policies would “put out the fires in Los Angeles.”
“Are you going to ask any questions or are you going to be asking climate questions all this time?” said another protester who was escorted from the hearing room.
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Several other climate protesters were also stationed outside the hearing room, wearing T-shirts that read “I Won't Let My Future Burn.”
