Energy Secretary Chris Wright gave full-throated support Monday to the Department of Energy’s innovation arm, the latest sign that some of President Donald Trump’s Cabinet secretaries disagree with policies proposed in the president’s first term.
Speaking at the ARPA-E Energy Innovation Summit in Washington, Wright said, “God bless you for your tremendous work in helping energize our country” about the workers and partners of the Advanced Research Projects Agency–Energy, which supports early stage energy technologies considered outside the reach of the private sector.
“Thank you for what you are doing … technology doesn’t happen in isolation,” Wright said.
The secretary’s presence at the conference is noteworthy considering that Trump floated eliminating ARPA-E multiple times in his first term. It remains unclear if Trump may propose axing the agency again when he releases a budget proposal in coming weeks.
