On his first day on the new job, Energy Secretary Chris Wright 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.
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.
