On his first day on the new job, Energy Secretary Chris Wright Wednesday issued a memorandum that outlines his initial goals for the Department of Energy. 

The memorandum explains that President Donald Trump outlined a “bold and ambitious agenda to unleash American energy at home and abroad." To compete on the global stage, the memorandum explains, the U.S. must expand energy production and lower costs for Americans. This agenda must be pursued in a culture of transparency, performance and common sense, Wright stated in his memo. 

“At the Department, we have an opportunity to promote energy abundance, demonstrate leadership in scientific and technological innovation, steward and strengthen our weapons stockpile to meet Cold War legacy waste clean-up commitments,” the memorandum states. 

Energy addition, not subtraction

During Wright’s confirmation hearing last month, climate protestors repeatedly disrupted the meeting, and legacy media outlets portrayed Wright as a climate change skeptic immediately after Trump tapped him to lead the department. Dana Perino, host of Fox News’ “America's Newsroom,” asked Wright about how he would respond to this treatment in the media going forward. 

“I'd love to have that dialogue, and I've been having that dialogue for 20 years. Climate change is a real thing, but it's not at all what is represented to be. It's nowhere near the world's biggest problem. It's a slow moving problem that the only solution is new and better energy technology,” Wright told Fox. 

Wright’s first objective outlined in the memo is to “advance energy addition, not subtraction.” Wright explains that net-zero emissions policies raise energy costs and threaten reliability of the U.S. energy system, while failing to achieve emissions reductions. Wright is for an expansion of the electric grid. 

Another action items states that the department will resume consideration of liquefied natural gas (LNG) export permits, which were paused under the Biden-Harris administration while a study was conducted on whether or not LNG exports are in the public interest. This included factoring in the impact of LNG exports on greenhouse gas emissions. 

The memorandum also calls on the department to review the home appliance standards that the Biden-Harris administration had pushed out. The review will do a cost-benefit analysis on the previous administration’s standards to see if they provide any cost savings for consumers, which includes the up-front cost of purchasing new appliances that are compliant with the standards. 

Wright also calls on the department to refill the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. Former President Joe Biden had drained the nation’s primary energy stockpile to its lowest level since the 1980s, in an effort to bring down gasoline prices ahead of the midterm elections after the war in Ukraine had driven them up. The memorandum also calls on the department to develop plans to safeguard the asset. 

Other action items include streamlining permitting for energy projects, support for nuclear energy development and modernizing the U.S. nuclear weapons stockpile. 

Bettering human lives

The memorandum concludes with a nod toward Liberty Energy’s environmental, social and governance statement “Bettering Human Lives.” Many companies are required by investment firms to issue ESG statements, which typically define a company’s efforts toward achieving net-zero emissions. Liberty Energy’s ESG statement instead defends the oil and gas industry, arguing that energy abundance promotes human health and well being.

“We will accelerate American science, reduce energy costs for American families and businesses, and strengthen reliability and security for our nation’s energy system — all in our quest to better human lives,” Wright’s memorandum says.