As of February 4, 2025, the Senate confirmed Liberty Energy Chairman and CEO Chris Wright to be secretary of the US Department of Energy (DOE). [1] This follows the confirmations of Doug Burgum to be the Interior Department secretary and Lee Zeldin to be the Environmental Protection Agency’s administrator. [2] During his confirmation hearing, Wright told the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee that as DOE secretary, he would try to increase US power supplies to help lower electricity prices. During his confirmation hearing, Wright implied that he intends to pursue multiple different avenues to grow the energy supply in order to drive down the price. Wright stated that as head of DOE, his immediate three priorities would be expanding energy production and cutting energy costs, accelerating the work of the DOE’s national laboratories, and building energy infrastructure. Wright has worked in the oil and gas sector since 1992. Liberty Energy, a publicly traded oil and gas services company based in Denver, is an investor in Fervo Energy, an enhanced geothermal company; Natron Energy, which makes sodium-ion batteries; and Oklo, a small modular reactor company.
[1] https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_votes/vote1191/vote_119_1_00030.htm