Environment

EcoWatch -  United States Energy Secretary Chris Wright on Monday delivered a blunt critique of the energy and climate policies of the Biden administration to a group of oil and gas executives, promising a “180 degree pivot.”  The former fracking executive is fully behind President Donald Trump’s plan to expand fossil fuel production in the U.S. while doing away with federal policies to mitigate global heating.

“I wanted to play a role in reversing what I believe has been a very poor direction in energy policy,” Wright said during the kickoff to the CERAWeek by S&P Global energy conference in Houston, as The New York Times reported. “The previous administration’s policy was focused myopically on climate change, with people as simply collateral damage.”

Wright has been dismissive of renewable energy, saying it makes up a small portion of the global energy mix. He pointed out that a quarter of the world’s energy is supplied by natural gas, with solar and wind producing roughly three percent.

“Beyond the obvious scale and cost problems, there is simply no physical way wind, solar and batteries could replace the myriad uses of natural gas,” Wright said.

Wright argued that fossil fuels are important for the alleviation of poverty worldwide, saying reducing emissions too quickly could drive up global energy prices.

He called countries’ efforts to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions by midcentury a “sinister goal.”

Wright’s comments did not address the adverse effects of fossil fuels and global heating on the planet.