A seasoned energy executive with deep experience in oil and gas, geothermal, nuclear, and solar is nominated to run the Department of Energy. One would think that he’d be met with overwhelming bipartisan support.

One would be wrong.

Chris Wright, the CEO of Liberty Energy, was nominated in November by incoming President Donald Trump to be his Secretary of Energy. Since, he has faced undue opposition from green groups and Democrats alike. Pouncing on comments Mr. Wright made about the framing of climate change, these individuals have spared no smear tactic in their campaign to undercut Mr. Wright’s undeniable qualifications. 

Yet, in stark contrast to critical headlines, Mr. Wright has repeatedly stated that we are experiencing increased global temperatures and that carbon emissions contribute to that. In fact, at my organization’s national conference in 2023, Mr. Wright discussed his lifelong environmentalism and how it informs the work he does to this day. The difference between his approach and that of his detractors, however, is that Mr. Wright is not willing to sacrifice human prosperity or quality of life for the sake of reducing emissions. As he sees it, energy poverty is one of the world’s most urgent problems and, rather than sacrificing that for environmental protection, we should balance the two. He’s right. We need more energy, not less.

Young people agree, demonstrated by a strong uptick in the popularity of reliable nuclear energy among younger generations, for example. In fact, it was primarily young people who campaigned to keep Diablo Canyon, California’s last remaining nuclear reactor, operational last year. In 2024 polling from my organization, 68% of young conservatives said they would favor a climate plan that balances both environmental and economic concerns.