"Chris Wright, who travels to Europe next week to promote American gas, called climate change “not incredibly important.”"
"Energy Secretary Chris Wright on Friday defended the Trump administration’s decision to block a nearly completed $6.2 billion wind farm off the coast of Rhode Island by saying offshore wind increases electricity prices and by downplaying the jobs at stake.
Energy experts accused Mr. Wright of oversimplifying the economics of offshore wind energy, noting that while it requires a significant amount of upfront capital to build a project, it was expected to create more than 55,000 jobs by the end of the decade and enough electricity to inexpensively power 22 million homes before the Trump administration took steps to throttle the nascent industry.
A former fracking executive, Mr. Wright said the focus in the United States to transition away from fossil fuels had hurt the country. It’s a message he said he intended to take on a multileg trip next week to Europe, where he will encourage countries to buy more American gas. The United States is currently the world’s biggest exporter of liquefied natural gas as well as the largest producer of oil.
“Europe is in the midst of almost completely deindustrializing the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution,” Mr. Wright said, referring to Europe’s commitments to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions that are heating the planet. He delivered those remarks on Friday to the Council on Foreign Relations, a Washington research organization."
Lisa Friedman reports for the New York Times September 5, 2025.
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