(Bloomberg) 鈥� The head of Liberty Energy Inc., the world鈥檚 second-largest fracing services company, has gained prominent endorsements as a potential pick for Donald Trump鈥檚 energy secretary.
While Chris Wright has no Washington experience, he鈥檚 made a name for himself as a vocal proponent of fossil fuels, touting their ability to raise living standards with cheap energy, while downplaying the need to transition to clean energy.
鈥淐hris is an excellent choice for Secretary of Energy,鈥� said Thomas Pyle, president of the American Energy Alliance, a free-market advocacy group. He led Trump's Energy Department鈥檚 transition team in 2016.
Wright declined to comment when reached by phone. A spokeswoman for the transition team said decisions regarding who will serve in Trump鈥檚 second administration 鈥渨ill be announced when they are made.鈥�
Wright holds engineering degrees from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and the University of California at Berkeley and describes himself on his Denver-based company鈥檚 website as a 鈥渢ech nerd turned entrepreneur and a dedicated humanitarian.鈥�
His company published a 180-page paper earlier this year that said climate change 鈥渋s far from the world鈥檚 greatest threat to human life鈥� and 鈥渉ydrocarbons are essential to improving the wealth, health, and life opportunities for the less energized.鈥�
Though the Energy Department has a disparate mission that includes helping to build the nation鈥檚 nuclear warheads as well as maintaining its stockpile of crude oil, it has little authority over oil and gas development. Most decisions on leasing of public lands and waters fall to the Interior Department.