Latest news with #LibertyEnergy
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
3 Nevada geothermal projects fast-tracked under Trump's quickie environmental review process
Ormat's complex south of Reno. (Ormat press photo) Three proposed geothermal projects in Nevada will be among the first fast-tracked under the Trump administration's new streamlined environmental review process, the U.S. Department of the Interior announced last week. Under the new process hailed by Interior Secretary Doug Burhum in April, environmental assessments for small-scale projects will be limited to just 14 days — a sharp contrast to the typical year or more. Full environmental impact statements for more complex projects, which usually take up to 2 years, will now be finalized in just 28 days. During his first month in office President Donald Trump proclaimed an 'energy emergency' as grounds for fast-tracking lengthy environmental reviews and permitting processes for energy projects deemed critical to national security. Conservation groups have blasted what they see as a circumvention of bedrock environmental laws on the basis of Trump decreeing an 'emergency.' But Burgum, in a statement, said 'by cutting red tape and advancing President Trump's American Energy Dominance agenda, we're fast-tracking reliable energy projects while strengthening national security and supporting American workers.' Environmental assessments for the three Nevada projects — all proposed by Ormat Nevada — will be completed within a 14 day timeframe, according to Interior's May 29 statement. Feds green-light uranium mine in Utah, first project approved under Trump's energy declaration Those projects include the Diamond Flat Geothermal Project near Fallon; the McGinness Hills Geothermal Optimization Project in Lander County; and the Pinto Geothermal Project along the Oregon-Nevada border. Geothermal is one the few renewable energy sources the Trump administration is promoting as part of its 'American Energy Dominance' plan. U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright, the CEO of the oilfield services firm Liberty Energy, has called for expanding geothermal energy, citing its potential to enhance energy security and stabilize electricity prices. During a House Appropriations Committee hearing last month, Wright told Nevada Rep. Susie Lee he is 'bullish on the future of geothermal.' 'Permitting and a sober government is necessary to make that happen,' Wright said. Under Wright's leadership, Liberty Energy also invested millions in geothermal energy startup Fervo Energy. In 2023, Fervo Energy launched a geothermal pilot plant in Nevada in partnership with Google to power data centers. Nevada generates is second only to California in geothermal electricity generation, , according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Nevada produces about 26% of total geothermal energy in the nation, and has the potential to grow. Last month, the U.S. Geological Survey released a report that said geothermal energy in the Great Basin — which covers most of Nevada — could produce electricity equivalent to 10% of the current U.S. power supply. Geothermal currently accounts for less than 1% of U.S. electricity generation, according to the EIA. In the last five years, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has put up more than 700,000 acres of land in Nevada to lease for geothermal. In a press release, USGS said commercial-scale geothermal development will largely depend on the 'successful application of evolving and emerging technologies.' Conservation groups argued the announcement is the latest effort by the Trump administration to target the National Environmental Policy Act, a bedrock environmental law that requires the federal government to conduct an indepth environmental review before moving forward with infrastructure projects. 'We support geothermal energy as a part of our clean energy mix, but like any projects on public lands these developments could cause environmental impacts,' said Patrick Donnelly, Great Basin director at the Center for Biological Diversity in a statement. 'Projects like these need full and complete environmental reviews to ensure they don't unduly harm endangered species or public lands resources.' While geothermal is a more environmentally sound alternative to traditional power sources like coal and natural gas, there are still environmental risks that require careful review. A recent study published in the journal Biological Conservation found that the presence of geothermal plants 'adversely affected' greater sage-grouse populations within sagebrush ecosystems. The study found that the presence of geothermal infrastructure near sage-grouse breeding grounds decreased nest survival. The study specifically reviewed the impact of Nevada's McGinness Hills Geothermal Development, the largest geothermal complex in Nevada and the fourth largest in the United States. The first McGinness Hills geothermal plant was established in July, 2012 and has been producing renewable power since. Throughout its construction and expansion, the McGinness Hills Geothermal Development has attracted pushback due to its impact on sage-grouse. In 2017, the Nevada Department of Wildlife wrote a letter to the BLM after the agency documented the downward trend of seven of eleven breeding sites near the McGinness Hills Geothermal Development. In the letter the agency accused Ormat of failing to monitor and mitigate the impact of the power plant on sage-grouse habitat, as required under the project approval. If the McGinness Hills Geothermal Optimization Project is approved under the new streamlined environmental review process, it would expand three geothermal power plants by adding new wells, heat exchangers, cooling fans, and a 15 megawatt solar photovoltaic field. Other Ormat geothermal energy projects have faced controversy and pushback in Nevada. In 2023, a planned geothermal project by Ormat was sent back to square one after federal land managers decided to reexamine the project's approval following the listing of a small rare toad living in adjacent springs as endangered. Another planned Ormat geothermal project near Gerlach, Nevada was thrown out by the Washoe County Board of County Commissioners in 2023 after locals fiercely opposed the project. Nevada Current is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Nevada Current maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Hugh Jackson for questions: info@ SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
3 Nevada geothermal projects fast-tracked under Trump's quickie environmental review process
Ormat's McGinness Hills complex in Lander County. (Ormat press photo) Three proposed geothermal projects in Nevada will be among the first fast-tracked under the Trump administration's new streamlined environmental review process, the U.S. Department of the Interior announced last week. Under the new process hailed by Interior Secretary Doug Burhum in April, environmental assessments for small-scale projects will be limited to just 14 days — a sharp contrast to the typical year or more. Full environmental impact statements for more complex projects, which usually take up to 2 years, will now be finalized in just 28 days. During his first month in office President Donald Trump proclaimed an 'energy emergency' as grounds for fast-tracking lengthy environmental reviews and permitting processes for energy projects deemed critical to national security. Conservation groups have blasted what they see as a circumvention of bedrock environmental laws on the basis of Trump decreeing an 'emergency.' But Burgum, in a statement, said 'by cutting red tape and advancing President Trump's American Energy Dominance agenda, we're fast-tracking reliable energy projects while strengthening national security and supporting American workers.' Environmental assessments for the three Nevada projects — all proposed by Ormat Nevada — will be completed within a 14 day timeframe, according to Interior's May 29 statement. Those projects include the Diamond Flat Geothermal Project near Fallon; the McGinness Hills Geothermal Optimization Project in Lander County; and the Pinto Geothermal Project along the Oregon-Nevada border. Geothermal is one the few renewable energy sources the Trump administration is promoting as part of its 'American Energy Dominance' plan. U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright, the CEO of the oilfield services firm Liberty Energy, has called for expanding geothermal energy, citing its potential to enhance energy security and stabilize electricity prices. During a House Appropriations Committee hearing last month, Wright told Nevada Rep. Susie Lee he is 'bullish on the future of geothermal.' 'Permitting and a sober government is necessary to make that happen,' Wright said. Under Wright's leadership, Liberty Energy also invested millions in geothermal energy startup Fervo Energy. In 2023, Fervo Energy launched a geothermal pilot plant in Nevada in partnership with Google to power data centers. Nevada generates is second only to California in geothermal electricity generation, , according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Nevada produces about 26% of total geothermal energy in the nation, and has the potential to grow. Last month, the U.S. Geological Survey released a report that said geothermal energy in the Great Basin — which covers most of Nevada — could produce electricity equivalent to 10% of the current U.S. power supply. Geothermal currently accounts for less than 1% of U.S. electricity generation, according to the EIA. In the last five years, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has put up more than 700,000 acres of land in Nevada to lease for geothermal. In a press release, USGS said commercial-scale geothermal development will largely depend on the 'successful application of evolving and emerging technologies.' Conservation groups argued the announcement is the latest effort by the Trump administration to target the National Environmental Policy Act, a bedrock environmental law that requires the federal government to conduct an indepth environmental review before moving forward with infrastructure projects. 'We support geothermal energy as a part of our clean energy mix, but like any projects on public lands these developments could cause environmental impacts,' said Patrick Donnelly, Great Basin director at the Center for Biological Diversity in a statement. 'Projects like these need full and complete environmental reviews to ensure they don't unduly harm endangered species or public lands resources.' While geothermal is a more environmentally sound alternative to traditional power sources like coal and natural gas, there are still environmental risks that require careful review. A recent study published in the journal Biological Conservation found that the presence of geothermal plants 'adversely affected' greater sage-grouse populations within sagebrush ecosystems. The study found that the presence of geothermal infrastructure near sage-grouse breeding grounds decreased nest survival. The study specifically reviewed the impact of Nevada's McGinness Hills Geothermal Development, the largest geothermal complex in Nevada and the fourth largest in the United States. The first McGinness Hills geothermal plant was established in July, 2012 and has been producing renewable power since. Throughout its construction and expansion, the McGinness Hills Geothermal Development has attracted pushback due to its impact on sage-grouse. In 2017, the Nevada Department of Wildlife wrote a letter to the BLM after the agency documented the downward trend of seven of eleven breeding sites near the McGinness Hills Geothermal Development. In the letter the agency accused Ormat of failing to monitor and mitigate the impact of the power plant on sage-grouse habitat, as required under the project approval. If the McGinness Hills Geothermal Optimization Project is approved under the new streamlined environmental review process, it would expand three geothermal power plants by adding new wells, heat exchangers, cooling fans, and a 15 megawatt solar photovoltaic field. Other Ormat geothermal energy projects have faced controversy and pushback in Nevada. In 2023, a planned geothermal project by Ormat was sent back to square one after federal land managers decided to reexamine the project's approval following the listing of a small rare toad living in adjacent springs as endangered. Another planned Ormat geothermal project near Gerlach, Nevada was thrown out by the Washoe County Board of County Commissioners in 2023 after locals fiercely opposed the project.
Washington Post
10-05-2025
- Business
- Washington Post
Trump promised U.S. dominance. Instead, energy companies are faltering.
President Donald Trump promised to unleash an energy renaissance that would lock in U.S. dominance over oil and gas. But that is not how things are working out for America's drillers, fracking firms and equipment suppliers, including the company founded by Trump's own energy secretary. The market value of Liberty Energy has fallen by nearly half since its former CEO, Chris Wright, joined Trump's Cabinet. The company reports it is among many in the industry struggling with the challenges heightened by Trump's agenda, including 'tariff impacts, geopolitical tensions, and oil supply concerns.'
E&E News
08-05-2025
- Business
- E&E News
5 takeaways from Chris Wright's Hill visit
Chris Wright sought to downplay the Department of Energy's staffing and spending cuts Wednesday as he faced lawmakers for the first time since he became a Cabinet member. The Energy secretary spent much of his time in front of the House Appropriations Energy and Water subcommittee defending President Donald Trump's fiscal 2026 budget proposal, which includes draconian cuts to federal spending. He dismissed concerns raised by Democrats, the energy industry and environmentalists of a mass exodus of DOE employees. The department has lost less than 1,000 people since Inauguration Day, Wright said. More than 3,000 of DOE's roughly 16,000 employees have opted to resign as part of the Trump administration's deferred resignation process, although some employees have not yet departed, according to reporting by POLITICO's E&E News. Advertisement When pressed on staffing departures, Wright said the overall number is 'in flux.' 'The changes in head count will be done dominantly by voluntary retirements and the delayed resignation program,' he said. The former CEO of fracking services firm Liberty Energy also vowed to move forward with at least some clean energy projects, following a vetting process that he said could be wrapped up this summer. 'We are reviewing existing projects; we've canceled zero so far,' Wright said. He also said there isn't a desire to 'shrink or stop any of the critical research' in the DOE's national lab network. That didn't temper the criticism from Democrats — and, to a lesser degree, some Republicans — about the White House budget released last week. The proposal calls for the cancellation of $15 billion in unspecified 'Green New Scam funds,' along with big cuts to a slew of core DOE functions, including the offices of renewable energy and energy efficiency, environment management, nuclear energy, fossil energy, and the Advanced Research Projects Agency–Energy. Subcommittee Chair Chuck Fleischmann (R-Tenn.) said he has 'some concerns candidly' with the proposed White House cuts to nuclear energy. 'We're at a pivotal moment in the development of our nuclear energy technologies in the United States, the success of which are critical to regaining international dominance in the nuclear market for our own domestic energy security,' the lawmaker said. 'I expect to see a resurgence in civil nuclear power under the Trump administration, and federal investment, in my view, is essential,' he added. The subcommittee's Democratic ranking member, Ohio Rep. Marcy Kaptur, criticized Wright for failing to respond to congressional inquiries. She also blasted the Trump administration for firing at least 19 inspectors general — including DOE's Teri Donaldson — without the legally required notification of Congress. Sarah Nelson is now DOE's acting IG. 'You need an inspector general,' Kaptur told Wright. 'Because there is criminality in energy. And you don't want your neck to be on the line.' Here are five takeaways from Wednesday's hearing, which touched on everything from nuclear power to artificial intelligence. Nuclear energy The president's budget proposes a more than $400 million cut to the Office of Nuclear Energy. It calls for reducing funding for 'non-essential research on nuclear energy to focus on what is truly needed to achieve national dominance in nuclear technology,' such as 'innovative concepts for nuclear reactors.' On Wednesday, Wright said DOE will focus on boosting the small modular reactor designs that have so far failed to be successfully commercialized due to high costs. He said the U.S. needs to increase its domestic production and enrichment of uranium. The U.S. imports uranium from Canada, Kazakhstan and Russia, among other nations. 'A little less than a third of current enriched uranium powering the United States nuclear reactors actually comes by American companies produced in America,' Wright said. 'Two-thirds of that is imported from overseas. This is unacceptable.' Wright said the department will use its Loan Programs Office to advance nuclear energy projects. Some DOE staffers and clean energy advocates worry the DOE will seek to shutter that office, which finalized a flurry of loans in the final weeks of the Biden administration. Wright also said DOE aims to boost U.S. capacity to reprocess nuclear waste to provide more fuel for power. 'A lot of this waste and burden right now could actually be fuel and could be a value to next generation reactors,' Wright said. 'DOE has worked hard to prepare a study that will come out before too long on what is the appropriate way to move forward [on] reprocessing.' The U.S. does not have a permanent facility to store nuclear waste, after years of opposition from Nevada politicians to the Yucca Mountain repository. Wright said DOE will take an 'opt-in approach' for the siting of such a repository, a reference to support from local communities. Hydrogen and solar DOE officials have weighed canceling four of seven hydrogen hubs funded with $7 billion from the 2021 bipartisan infrastructure law, according to documents circulating in the agency and on Capitol Hill. The documents suggest the hubs in predominantly blue states could be eliminated: ARCHES in California, the Pacific Northwest hub, the Midwest hub and Mid-Atlantic hub. But on Wednesday, Wright pushed back on the assertion that the hubs are at risk of being imminently canceled. He said 'zero decisions' have been made on projects when asked about the Midwest hub by Rep. Frank Mrvan (D-Ind.). 'All of the hydrogen hubs … right now are being funded in feasibility studies, they are developing,' Wright said. In the meantime, DOE's review will examine whether projects have co-financing, offtake agreements and good engineering, he told lawmakers. If 'it looks viable, it's got an offtake agreement so it's not a bridge to nowhere, … those are the kind of things that we're going to go forward with,' he told Mrvan. Rep. Mike Levin (D-Calif.) also pressed Wright on ARCHES, one of two hubs that is focusing on the development of 'green' hydrogen produced with renewables. In April, the majority of California's congressional delegation, including several Republicans, sent a letter to the Energy secretary urging support for the hub, saying it is critical for jobs and economic activity. Wright said a response to that letter likely would be coming this summer, after completion of the review of hundreds of large projects. 'One of the things that slowed me down is getting people, getting qualified business professionals' to conduct the reviews, he said, adding the process is 'now rolling.' Wright also spoke favorably of solar power, which Trump has repeatedly criticized. The industry is under pressure because of Trump's tariffs on components, including on grid batteries imported from China that are frequently paired with projects. Solar is an 'industry source with a future,' Wright said. 'I think you'll see continued work on solar at the Department of Energy.' Trump is proposing a more than 70 percent cut in funding in his fiscal 2026 budget proposal for the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, which houses DOE's solar research. Solar and battery storage are expected to constitute more than 80 percent of new additions to the grid this year, according to the Energy Information Administration. Gas exports Wright said his priorities for DOE include unleashing 'a golden era of American energy dominance' and strengthening U.S. national security. He called attention to recent DOE export approvals for liquefied natural gas terminals and again slammed the Biden administration over its pause on those licenses. 'I'm proud to report that we have officially ended the previous administration's reckless pause on LNG export permits and returned DOE to regular order for reviewing and approving new permits,' Wright told committee members. Since the Trump administration took over in January, DOE has 'approved applications for projects' that will export more than 9.5 billion cubic feet a day of natural gas as LNG, he said. Recent green lights went to Venture Global's CP2 project and Kimmeridge's Commonwealth LNG project, both planned for the Louisiana coast. The Biden administration paused LNG export approvals in January 2024 to conduct an economic and environmental analysis, which found that big increases in liquefied natural gas exports would cause U.S. prices to spike. The pause of permit approvals — needed to export LNG to countries that lack a free trade agreement with the U.S. — was blocked last July by a federal judge. The public comment period on the study ended in March. Artificial intelligence Wright told lawmakers that the U.S. needs to boost energy production to meet an expected increase in energy demand from data centers and artificial intelligence. 'The next energy intensive manufacturing industry is AI,' Wright told the subcommittee. 'It takes a lot of energy — in the highest and most expensive form of energy, electricity — to manufacture intelligence of very high value. So, yes, we need to have that here.' Wright called AI 'the Manhattan Project of our time,' referring to the World War II-era U.S. program to develop the nuclear bomb. In April, Wright unveiled a plan to build data centers on federal land, including at the national labs. 'Our agency has the world-class high-performance computing capabilities that enable fast and efficient AI research and development, including four of the world's top 10 supercomputers,' he said. So far, the Trump administration has prioritized AI, arguing it's a major front in U.S. competition with China. Just days after taking office, Trump championed a $500 billion AI project run by SoftBank, OpenAI, Oracle and other companies. The Trump team also wants to build data centers on public lands. 'If we're behind China in AI, our sovereignty [and] our national defense [are] at risk,' Wright said. 'It is not an option for us to get second in AI.' Energy prices Electricity prices have grown steadily in the U.S. due to a wide range of factors, including costs tied new renewable energy and transmission infrastructure as well as utility spending on wildfire prevention. During former President Joe Biden's four years in office, the average price of electricity grew roughly 20 percent. Natural gas prices also increased in recent years, though prices have dropped since March. Gasoline prices have fallen from a year ago. For Wright, reducing energy costs in the U.S. is a simple equation: The U.S. needs to produce more energy than demand, bolstered by quicker permitting for energy projects. 'We got to be ready to meet those demands without harming ratepayers by driving up price,' he said. But the U.S. already produces more oil, natural gas and renewable energy than ever before. Now, industry representatives warn that Trump's tariff policies, which have sparked a global trade war, could spike the price tag for new energy infrastructure. Meanwhile, Kaptur said the Trump administration's opposition to Biden-era clean energy programs risks raising energy prices in the United States. 'Our people are feeling directly how the pinch feels when rising energy costs impact every family and business,' she said. 'Let me be crystal clear: Weakening U.S. energy progress at DOE is a direct threat to America's energy security.'
E&E News
07-05-2025
- Politics
- E&E News
Meet the 4 influencers shaping Chris Wright's worldview
Energy Secretary Chris Wright doesn't deny climate change exists. He just considers global warming to be less important than other issues, such as poverty or human health. And in his view — despite abundant evidence that both are worsened by climate change — the solution to the other problems often means one thing: more energy. Or to be more specific: more fossil fuels. 'Climate change is a real and global challenge that we should and can address,' Wright wrote last year. 'However, representing it as the most urgent threat to humanity today displaces concerns about more pressing threats of malnutrition, access to clean water, air pollution, endemic diseases, and human rights, among others.' Advertisement Or put another way: 'Affordable, reliable energy is the road out of poverty,' he declared in a report called 'Bettering Human Lives' that was published by his fracking services company, Liberty Energy. Much of Wright's worldview is informed by the work he did before entering the Trump administration. In 2011, he founded Liberty Energy, whose fortunes (along with his own) have risen and fallen with the fossil fuel industry. But this alone doesn't explain Wright's position. The Colorado native has become an enthusiastic evangelist for the Trump administration's energy policies, and many of his talking points spring from a broad network of conservative activists and influencers. Their approach has been described by critics as a new kind of climate denialism. One that doesn't dispute that global warming is real but rather frames it as a lesser problem — often with the use of cherry-picked data and a misrepresentation of scientific findings. And that kind of thinking carries its own risk, detractors say, as scientists broadly agree that climate change is expected to exacerbate many of the problems Wright says are a higher priority, such as food insecurity. 'He pretty much claims that there is no evidence that burning fossil fuels would lead to, you know, deleterious effects, bad effects on the climate, and it's just not true,' said Scott Denning, a climate scientist at Colorado State University who debated Wright on a television show in 2015. 'Nobody on the clean energy side is trying to say that we should stop using energy and go back to 1750 and, you know, have horses and buggies and chamber pots,' he added. 'Rather, we're trying to say that we can still have that sense of growing human flourishing, we just have to do it without setting carbon on fire.' But those who align with Wright's perspective see it differently. Here are four influencers who have helped shape Wright's approach to climate and energy. Bjørn Lomberg Danish professor Bjørn Lomborg is seen at the Bella center of Copenhagen on Dec. 15, 2009, at the COP15 U.N. Climate Change Conference. | Adrian Dennis/AFP via Getty Images Lomborg, a political scientist from Denmark, has been called a 'friend' by Wright and was cited in his 'Bettering Human Lives' report. Frequently published in The Wall Street Journal's opinion section, Lomborg acknowledges that climate change is occurring but he has made a career of attacking clean energy by making claims that it is unreliable and 'hurts the poor.' Lomborg recently downplayed the need for climate policy that meaningfully addresses rising emissions by claiming humanity would simply adapt to warmer temperatures and more extreme storms. 'Alarmist campaigners and credulous journalists fail to account for the simple fact that people are remarkably adaptable and tackle most climate problems at low cost,' he wrote in the New York Post. That's in direct contrast to the findings of the most recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report, which includes the work of hundreds of climate scientists from across the globe. It found that climate change has left developing countries suffering from 'high vulnerability and low adaptive capacity.' And it is already causing considerable strain on the finances of those countries — and will only get worse, the research found. 'The rising public fiscal costs of mitigation, and of adapting to climate shocks, is affecting many countries and worsening public indebtedness and country credit ratings at a time when there were already significant stresses on public finances,' the IPCC states. Lomborg has no climate training and no published climate research, noted Bob Ward, a spokesperson for the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment at the London School of Economics. Ward has been debunking Lomborg's claims for years. 'Lomborg's many media pronouncements on climate change are often demonstrably inaccurate and misleading, and he cherry-picks and misrepresents information in order to deny the scale of risks from inaction and exaggerate the costs and challenges of the transition away from fossil fuels,' Ward said. 'It would be dangerous for any decision-maker to act on Lomborg's advice about climate change.' Lomborg's approach can be summed up in the title of his book, 'False Alarm: How Climate Change Panic Costs Us Trillions, Hurts the Poor, and Fails to Fix the Planet' He is the president of the Copenhagen Consensus Center, a think tank that lists its address at a neighborhood parcel shipping store outside of Boston, and does not disclose its donors. Lomborg is also listed as a visiting fellow at the conservative Hoover Institution, which has received millions of dollars from foundations that oppose regulations. Lomborg did not respond to a request for comment. Roy Spencer Roy Spencer speaks May 4, 2012, at the NASA Goddard Visitor Center. | NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center/Bill Hrybyk Spencer, whose work was cited as a resource in Wright's report, is a research scientist at the University of Alabama in Huntsville and is listed as an adviser to the Heartland Institute, which promotes climate misinformation. While some of Spencer's work on atmospheric temperatures and other areas of study has been funded by NASA and the Energy Department, he has attacked federal climate researchers as being biased because they receive taxpayer money, and he has claimed that people alive today won't experience global warming. Spencer also served as a visiting fellow for the Heritage Foundation, which produced the Project 2025 policy proposal that has guided the first months of President Donald Trump's second term. The groups Spencer has been affiliated with have received millions of dollars in donations from foundations that oppose regulations, but he claims the American public has 'been misled by the vested interests who financially benefit from convincing the citizens we are in a climate crisis.' That includes environmental groups and journalists, in his telling. 'Climate change is big business for a lot of players,' he wrote in a Heritage Foundation publication. 'That includes a marching army of climate scientists whose careers now depend on a steady stream of funding from governments.' For years, Spencer has worked with organizations that have received funding from an interlinked network of fossil fuel companies — a multitrillion-dollar global industry — as well as wealthy foundations with billions of dollars in holdings that support groups opposing climate and energy regulations. He states on his website that he has not been paid by oil companies, but a court filing in 2016 revealed that he received funding from Peabody Energy, the coal giant that for years spent millions of dollars on funding climate denial groups. Spencer has appeared before Congress a number of times, typically as a Republican witness attacking climate policy and downplaying climate risks. He served as the climatologist for the late conservative commentator Rush Limbaugh, who regularly promoted climate denialism on his show. Like Lomborg, Spencer claims climate policy will hurt the poor even as science has overwhelmingly shown the effects of global warming would disproportionately affect the world's most vulnerable populations. He authored a book entitled: 'Climate Confusion: How Global Warming Hysteria Leads to Bad Science, Pandering Politicians and Misguided Policies That Hurt the Poor.' Spencer did not respond to a request for comment. Alex Epstein Alex Epstein speaking with attendees at the 2018 Student Action Summit hosted by Turning Point USA. | Gage Skidmore/Flickr Epstein has called for burning more oil and gas and claims global warming will benefit humanity. Like Wright, he likes to use the phrase 'human flourishing' when discussing oil and gas. And he sees clean energy as an enemy of industrial progress. Wright has appeared on Epstein's podcast, 'Power Hour.' For years, Epstein has served as a Republican witness in congressional hearings, where he minimizes the threat of climate change while pushing for an increase in the use of fossil fuels. He also has consulted for the fossil fuel industry and interest groups. In a Senate Banking Committee hearing last week, Epstein downplayed the role of carbon emissions in driving the deadly Los Angeles wildfires and noted the 'death rate from climate-related disasters has fallen 98 percent over the last century.' 'As a longtime resident of Southern California, I've long been frustrated that our leading politicians blame our fire problems on rising CO2 levels, which is a factor but a minor factor,' he said. The death rate has declined substantially in the last century primarily because the technology used for storm and disaster prediction has vastly improved, as have the methods of communication. Epstein's claims about wildfires also run counter to the findings of hundreds of climate scientists that produce the National Climate Assessment; they found that 'in recent years, climate change has contributed to very large and severe fires.' Epstein runs the Center for Industrial Progress, a 'for-profit think tank,' and recently registered to lobby federal officials with the Energy Freedom Fund to push his message against renewable energy subsidies. He claims climate goals, such as net zero by 2050, would 'radically increase climate danger and ruin billions of lives.' In 2023, he said that if former President Joe Biden declared a climate emergency, it would result in 'endless dictatorship.' Epstein said he and Wright have held similar beliefs for a long time. 'Chris has had views in my general vicinity for a long time,' Epstein said in a statement. 'I'm not sure to what extent I've influenced his thinking, but I've long valued having a fellow outspoken energy humanist in such important roles — first as a courageous CEO and now as Secretary of Energy.' John Constable While less known in the United States, Constable sits on the advisory board of the United Kingdom-based Global Warming Policy Foundation, which has promoted climate misinformation for years. Wright hosted Constable for a 2022 event in which he noted that Constable has a Ph.D. in English, but called him an 'energy scholar' and said he was a top analyst of the energy system. He said Constable was an editor for his 'Bettering Human Lives' report. In his presentation, Constable suggested that Biden's Inflation Reduction Act, which contained almost $400 billion in clean energy incentives and spending, could create conditions in the U.S. within a decade that would be akin to the Great Depression. Constable also has warned that increasing the share of clean energy, and cutting energy consumption, could lead to the downfall of the West. He claimed that intelligence agencies had failed the U.K. and the United States by not warning about the alleged dangers of more wind and solar. 'The stakes are very high because not all the world is doing this, western societal independence is in jeopardy,' he said. 'If we carry on doing this, we will not be defensible states.' The Inflation Reduction Act created a boom in manufacturing jobs throughout the country, adding tens of thousands of jobs in red states. It has helped create new opportunities in some areas that were in economic decline, such as Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene's Georgia district, where solar production is now flourishing. Wright enthusiastically introduced Constable before he spoke, praising Constable for his willingness to change his mind on climate policy. 'You have ideas, if you get data and find out they're wrong, you should change your ideas, and that's what John has done,' Wright said. This story also appears in Energywire.
