- Palestinians return to north Gaza after breakthrough on hostages
- Taiwan identifies 52 'suspicious' Chinese ships for close monitoring
- Chinese lion dance troupe shrugs off patriarchal past
- India boosts domestic arms industry and looks West to pare back Russia reliance
- Troubled European carmakers to talk fines and EVs with EU
- Bird feathers and bloodstains found in Jeju jet engines: report
- World marks 80th anniversary of Auschwitz liberation
- West Indies win Test in Pakistan for first time in 35 years
- South Korea president's indictment: what happens next?
- Lappartient aims for IOC presidency and world harmony
- Japan's Fuji TV faces heat over sex allegations
- Jennifer Lopez bring 1950s Hollywood 'diva' to Sundance indie fest
- Chiefs beat Bills, seek Super Bowl 'three-peat' against Eagles
- Weak yuan, Trump tariff threats confound Beijing's economic puzzle
- Sinner destined for greatness -- but first comes doping hearing
- Japan's Osaka bans street smoking ahead of Expo 2025
- Mahomes and Chiefs eye historic Super Bowl 'three-peat' after beating Bills
- Asian stocks mixed as tariff fears return, new AI programme emerges
- ECB to cut rates again, with a nervous eye on Trump
- Thunder hold off Trail Blazers for bounce-back win
- Bittersweet return for Syrians with killed, missing relatives
- With Trump win, Silicon Valley's right flank takes on Washington
- Gunfire in DR Congo's Goma as Kenya pushes peace talks
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- Eagles reach Super Bowl with 55-23 win over Commanders
- Amorim says 63-year-old coach better chance of playing than Rashford
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- Barca shred Valencia to restore La Liga shine
- Marseille miss chance to close gap on PSG with Nice defeat
- Man Utd grind out Fulham win thanks to Martinez winner
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- Palestinian voices take center stage at Sundance
- Trump slaps sanctions after Colombia defies deportation push
- DR Congo urges UN to punish Rwanda for 'declaration of war'
- Mel Gibson's 'Flight Risk' lands atop N.America box office
- Inter thump Lecce to stay in touch with Serie A leaders Napoli
- Lukashenko extends three-decade rule in election deonounced by West
- 'Who knows?': Postecoglou uncertain over future after new 'low' for Spurs
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- Son slams 'sloppy' Spurs as pressure mounts on Postecoglou
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- Trump's first week: everything, everywhere, all at once
- Postecoglou under fire as Leicester stun troubled Spurs
- Idao de Tillard defends Prix d'Amerique crown for father and son
- UN chief calls for Rwanda to stop advance on key DR Congo city
- Van der Poel gears up for worlds with cyclo-cross double
- Lukashenko set to extend three-decade rule in Belarus
- Sinner says clear mind over doping saga helped him win in Melbourne
- 'Only thing that matters': Vonn sets sights on world championships
Trump's Energy Dept pick wants to develop renewables... and fossil fuels
Donald Trump's nominee for energy secretary, a fracking magnate who has previously expressed climate change skepticism, advocated for renewable energy and referred to the warming planet as a fact Wednesday, while still pushing for increased use of fossil fuels.
Chris Wright made the comments during his hearing before the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources as part of his confirmation process.
Trump meanwhile bashed a critical source of renewable energy, wind, on his Truth Social platform by stating that wind turbines are "an economic and environmental disaster."
The incoming president has long disdained the technology, cracking jokes at his rallies about wind power, which accounted for more than 10 percent of US energy generation in 2022, according to the Energy Department.
"I don't want even one built during my Administration," Trump wrote.
US states generating the most wind energy are often Republican with Texas, Iowa, Oklahoma and Kansas at the top of the list.
Wright is a founder of Liberty Energy, which serves the energy companies that have massively increased US fossil fuel production in recent years through fracking -- the extraction of oil and gas from shale fields.
Although he posted on LinkedIn a year ago that the term "climate crisis" was a "destructive deception" and there was "no such thing as clean energy or dirty energy," as of Wednesday he had changed his tune.
Climate change, he told the committee, is "a challenging issue and the solution to climate change is to evolve our energy system."
"Are there things we can do, investments together through the Department of Energy, to accelerate development of new energy technologies that are really the only pathway to address climate change? Absolutely," Wright said.
He mentioned both solar and geothermal energy, as well as nuclear, which is not renewable.
"Energy and climate is a global problem," Wright said, adding, "I think President Trump is firmly aligned with that position as well."
Trump ran for office on a platform favoring the growth of US energy production, including fossil fuels.
Wright in particular has advocated for the construction of new liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals.
In January 2024, US President Joe Biden declared a moratorium on their construction, citing the threat to climate.
Fossil fuels, Wright said, have "fallen out of fashion and out of favor," and he added that "there's been less interest to invest in it."
"I don't share those aversions. I'm all about new technology to improve energy sources across the board," he said.
L.E.Campos--PC