HOUSTON — Energy Secretary Chris Wright pledged to “fully unleash human potential” by reversing what he called “irrational, quasi-religious” climate change policies that he said had raised electricity prices and cost American jobs.
In a speech Monday at an annual conference of energy leaders, Wright said he would help oversee a “commonsense pivot in energy” that would boost U.S. production of oil and natural gas.
“We need more energy. Lots more energy. That much should be obvious,” he said at CERAWeek by S&P Global.
Wright focused his remarks on the impact of energy development on the economy and said President Donald Trump’s agenda would focus on making energy and electricity more affordable. Those comments came amid widespread economic uncertainty after the White House imposed — then quickly pulled and delayed — tariffs on Canada and Mexico. If reinstated, those trade policies are expected to drive up the cost of energy imports and construction materials and could potentially impact the price of electricity.
