Chris Wright facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Chris Wright
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Official portrait, 2025
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| 17th United States Secretary of Energy | |
| Assumed office February 3, 2025 |
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| President | Donald Trump |
| Preceded by | Jennifer Granholm |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Christopher Allen Wright
January 15, 1965 |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Liz Wright |
| Education | |
Christopher Allen Wright (born January 15, 1965) is an American engineer and businessman. He is currently the 17th United States Secretary of Energy, a job he started in 2025. Before this, he was the CEO of Liberty Energy. This company is one of the biggest in North America for a process called hydraulic fracturing, also known as fracking. He also served on the boards of other companies, including a nuclear technology company and a company dealing with mining rights.
On November 16, 2024, President Donald Trump announced that he wanted Chris Wright to be the next Secretary of Energy. The United States Senate approved his appointment on February 3, 2025. He was sworn into office on the same day. As a member of the Cabinet of the United States, the Secretary of Energy is an important advisor to the President.
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Chris Wright's Early Life and Family
Chris Wright was born in 1965 and grew up in Colorado. He went to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). There, he earned two degrees: a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering and a master's degree in electrical engineering. He also studied electrical engineering at the University of California, Berkeley. Chris Wright and his wife, Liz, live in Englewood, Colorado.
Chris Wright's Career Journey
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In 1992, Chris Wright started a company called Pinnacle Technologies. This company worked on getting natural gas from shale rock using a method called fracking. He was the CEO of Pinnacle Technologies until 2006. He also led another company, Stroud Energy, which also focused on shale gas. He sold this company in 2006.
In 2011, he founded Liberty Energy. This company became very successful. By February 2023, The Wall Street Journal reported that Liberty Energy was worth about $2.8 billion. As the CEO of Liberty Energy, Chris Wright earned $5.6 million in 2023.
In 2019, Chris Wright wanted to show that fracking fluid was safe. He publicly drank some of the fluid to make his point. Liberty Energy also promoted its "greener selections" for the chemicals used in fracking. In a video from January 2023, he shared his views on climate change. He stated that he believes there is no climate crisis. He also said that the idea of "carbon pollution" is misleading.
Chris Wright was also on the Board of Directors for the Denver Branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City. He served there from January 2020 to April 2024.
In April 2024, he spoke about new rules from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. These rules require companies to share information about their greenhouse gas emissions. Chris Wright said these rules were not legal. He also argued that risks from extreme weather were actually going down. He mentioned that many lives have been saved because fewer people die from cold weather.
Chris Wright has been on the board of directors for other companies too. One is Oklo Inc., which designs small nuclear reactors. Another is EMX Royalty Corp., a Canadian company that deals with payments for mineral rights and mining rights.
Becoming the Secretary of Energy (2025-Present)
On November 15, 2024, the Financial Times reported that Chris Wright was likely to be chosen as the next United States Secretary of Energy. This was for Donald Trump's second term as president. Chris Wright had supported Trump's campaign financially.
Republican Senator John Barrasso praised Chris Wright as an "energy innovator." Other important people in the energy industry also supported him. The next day, President Trump officially announced his plan to nominate Chris Wright. If confirmed, Wright would also join the National Energy Council.
The United States Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources voted to approve his nomination on January 23. The full Senate then voted on February 3, confirming him with a vote of 59 to 38. He was sworn into his new role later that same day.
See also
In Spanish: Chris Wright (agente petrolero) para niños
