The US Senate has approved Chris Wright, a fracking industry leader, as President Donald Trump’s new energy secretary.
In a 59-38 vote on Monday, lawmakers confirmed Wright, who has led Liberty Energy as CEO since 2011. He has stated he will leave his position at the company now that he has been confirmed.
Wright, 60, has acknowledged that human activity contributes to climate change but has described its risks as “distant and uncertain.”
He has also expressed doubt about government-led efforts to tackle the issue, arguing that such policies are unlikely to succeed, reported Reuters.
As energy secretary, Wright will oversee a department with a budget of around $50 billion, with nearly half allocated to maintaining the country’s nuclear weapons.
He will also be responsible for 17 national laboratories that conduct advanced research in areas such as fusion energy and supercomputing.
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