Chris Wright facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Chris Wright
|
|
|---|---|
Official portrait, 2025
|
|
| 17th United States Secretary of Energy | |
| Assumed office February 3, 2025 |
|
| President | Donald Trump |
| Deputy | James Danly |
| Preceded by | Jennifer Granholm |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Christopher Allen Wright
January 15, 1965 Colorado, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Liz Wright |
| Education | |
Christopher Allen Wright (born January 15, 1965) is an American government official, engineer, and businessman. He has been the 17th U.S. Secretary of Energy since February 2025.
Before this important role, he was the CEO of Liberty Energy. This company is one of the largest in North America that uses a method called hydraulic fracturing (often called fracking). He also served on the boards of other companies. These included Oklo Inc., which works with nuclear technology, and EMX Royalty Corp., a Canadian company dealing with rights to minerals.
In November 2024, Donald Trump, who was then President-elect, announced that he wanted Wright to be the U.S. Secretary of Energy. The U.S. Senate approved Wright's nomination on February 3, 2025. He officially started his job on the same day.
Early life and education
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 as a graduate student at the University of California, Berkeley. Chris Wright and his wife, Liz, live in Englewood, Colorado.
Career in business
.jpg)
In 1992, Wright started a company called Pinnacle Technologies. This company focused on producing natural gas from shale gas using fracking. He was the CEO until 2006. He also led another shale gas company, Stroud Energy, which he sold in 2006.
In 2011, he founded Liberty Energy, which was first known as Liberty Oilfield Services. By February 2023, the company was worth about $2.8 billion. As the CEO of Liberty Energy, Wright earned $5.6 million in 2023.
In 2019, Wright publicly drank a small amount of fracking fluid. He did this to show that he believed it was not dangerous. Liberty Energy also promoted "greener selections" for the chemicals they used. In a video from January 2023, he shared his views on climate change. He stated that he did not believe there was a climate crisis. He also said that the term "carbon pollution" was misleading.
From January 2020 to April 2024, Wright was on the board of directors for the Denver Branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City.
In April 2024, Wright spoke about new rules from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. These rules require companies to share information about their greenhouse gas emissions and climate risks. Wright said these rules were not lawful. He also claimed that risks from extreme weather were actually decreasing. He mentioned that many lives had been saved because of fewer cold-related deaths.
Wright has also been on the board of directors for Oklo Inc.. This company designs small nuclear reactors. He also served on the board of EMX Royalty Corp., a Canadian company that deals with payments for mineral and mining rights.
Government service
In November 2024, news reports suggested that Chris Wright was a top choice for United States Secretary of Energy in Donald Trump's second presidency. He had given money to Trump's fundraising efforts. Republican Senator John Barrasso praised Wright as an "energy innovator." Many of Trump's supporters, including Thomas Pyle and Harold Hamm, also supported Wright.
On November 16, 2024, President-elect Donald Trump officially announced his choice of Wright. He nominated Wright to be the U.S. Secretary of Energy. Wright would also become a member of the National Energy Council once approved by the Senate.
The United States Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources voted to approve Wright's nomination on January 23, 2025. The full U.S. Senate then confirmed him with a vote of 59 to 38 on February 3, 2025. He was sworn into his new role later that same day.
See also
In Spanish: Chris Wright (agente petrolero) para niños
