Trump wants to make fracking entrepreneur energy minister

During the election campaign, he announced his intention to greatly expand the extraction of oil and gas, and now Donald Trump has nominated a climate change denier as Secretary of Energy. The task for Energy Secretary-designate and fracking entrepreneur Chris Wright is clearly outlined: promote fossil fuels and cut red tape.

The Financial Times had already reported on Friday that the CEO of the oil company Liberty Energy was the most likely candidate for the post of US Secretary of Energy. Trump's announcement followed shortly afterwards. Should the US Senate confirm Wright, he would play a key role in the next US president's plans to expand the promotion of fossil fuels. According to the Financial Times, Wright's nomination was pushed for by the US oil industry. Among others, Harold Hamm, founder of the oil production company Continental Resources and close confidant of Trump, campaigned for Wright.

Wright would take up the post without any previous political experience. It is possible that statements on LinkedIn convinced Trump of his suitability instead. Among other things, Wright said there was no climate crisis. In 2019, he made a name for himself when he drank fracking fluid in front of cameras to prove the harmlessness of the extraction method. Fracking involves creating cracks in deep layers of rock under high pressure in order to extract natural gas or oil stored there. The pressure is generated with a fluid that is a dangerous chemical cocktail. This can consist of up to a thousand different substances, including solvents such as terpene, glutaraldehyde, isothiazolinone, ethylene glycol monobutyl ether and propanol. The liquid also contains surfactants, hydrogen sulphide and hydrochloric acid.

Withdrawal from Paris climate agreement expected

During the election campaign, Trump announced that he would cut government funding for climate-friendly technologies. It is expected that the USA will once again withdraw from the Paris Climate Agreement under Trump. Wright would succeed Jennifer Granholm as Energy Secretary, who is committed to promoting electric vehicles and renewable energies, among other things. However, the focus on fossil fuels would not mean a break with the Biden administration's policy: Last year, the US produced 13 million barrels of oil a day, more than ever before.

Just a few weeks ago, the UN Environment Program (UNEP) published its report on global emissions. It shows that more greenhouse gases were emitted in 2023 than ever before. According to UNEP chief Inger Andersen, a global mobilization on an unprecedented scale and speed is needed for more climate protection. Viviane Raddatz, Climate Director of WWF Germany, said in light of the UNEP report: "We urgently need to push ahead with the phase-out of fossil fuels, otherwise more and more gigantic amounts of CO2 will be released into our atmosphere and fuel global warming".

(rbr)