Impressions: Senate Energy and Natural Resources Hearings for Energy Secretary Nominee Chris Wright

On Wednesday, President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for Energy Secretary, Colorado’s Chris Wright, appeared before the Senate Energy & Natural Resources Committee for his confirmation hearing. The hearings were for the most part uneventful, but there were a few highlights – and lowlights – worth noting.

The heart of Mr. Wright’s testimony was his focus on growing American energy, both with existing sources and developing sources; he spoke at some length about the importance of growing the supply of affordable, reliable, and stable American energy: 

Our nation deserves a champion for American energy and innovation, and we’ve got the Wright guy for the job. pic.twitter.com/bg38C7dQhH

— Mike Lee (@SenMikeLee) January 15, 2025

Mr. Wright’s opening statement said in part:

My mission would be to inspire people in the department, and in the labs, and across the network, to focus on what’s most important for Americans, which is growing the supply of affordable, reliable, secure American energy.

Full credit to the nominee for recognizing and, indeed, hitting at the heart of the question. Chris Wright is a businessman, not a bureaucrat or politician, as I noted yesterday.

See Related: The Right Choice: Why Chris Wright Is the Man for Energy Secretary

High points:

The nominee appears to favor an “all of the above” approach to American energy, and while he has worked with solar energy projects in his business career and mentioned the use of solar power where it’s appropriate, he also is, based on his testimony, a supporter of nuclear energy. There were a few back-and-forth discussions on the topics of nuclear waste storage and new, small-reactor technologies. Also, Mr. Wright brought up an interesting point, stating that a great deal of energy consumption is not in home heating or indeed any domestic use, but in high-temperature industrial applications, like smelting steel; this is a need that nuclear power could also help meet.

Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) after side jaunts in discussion geothermal energy, did ask about strategic minerals, of which Alaska has known resources. Mr. Wright did acknowledge and pledged to work to develop domestic sources in Alaska and elsewhere; he appears to understand that this is not just an energy issue, but a national security issue.

Mr. Wright made one interesting statement, to the effect that energy is the great regulator of everything we do; and that the cost of energy affects the cost of everything else in our economy. This is a fact that Democrats seem to have a hard time digesting. Also, Mr. Wright is correct to be concerned about the state of our energy grid, although I would have liked to have heard his thoughts on not only upgrading but decentralizing and hardening our grid against events like electromagnetic pulses (EMP) which have natural as well as human causes.

Low points:

Senator Mazie Hirono (D-HI) asked her usual embarrassing “Have you stopped beating your wife yet?” question that she asks every nominee, even one like Chris Wright, who has been married to his teenage sweetheart for many years and on whom there has never been any hint of marital strife or impropriety. Senator Hirono is a pathetic one-trick pony, and it’s sad that the people of Hawaii somehow see fit to keep returning her to the Senate.

Senator Alex Padilla (D-CA) who apparently thinks climate change causes arson, badgered Mr. Wright about climate change and the fires in California; were I Mr. Wright, I would have been unable to resist the urge to tell Senator Padilla “Will you shut up and let me answer your question?”

Fortunately, most of the senators behaved themselves, and in no small part due to Mr. Wright’s outstanding qualifications, the hearings went, for the most part, smoothly. At several points, some screaming nuts jumped up and were quickly ejected, but other than that, proceedings were generally cordial.

See Related: Hit Piece on Trump’s Energy Secretary Ends Up Sounding More Like Over-the-Top Praise

Prediction: Chris Wright will be confirmed, handily, with a bipartisan vote.

You can view a transcript of the hearing here.

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