Wright confirmed as secretary of energy, winning support of 59 senators

The Senate voted 59-to-38 Monday evening to confirm Chris Wright as the 17th secretary of energy.

Wright is CEO and founder of Liberty Energy, a publicly-traded company that provides services and technology to the oil and natural gas industry. Wright’s confirmation was expected given he was not considered one of the more controversial picks so far in President Donald Trump’s second term.

No Republicans voted against Wright and a half-dozen Democrats voted for him – including both Democratic senators from New Mexico and both from Wright’s home state of Colorado. Among the Democrats in the nay column were Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) who said Wright was waffling on his commitment to fully fund cleanup of the Department of Energy Hanford Site.

Last week, 62 senators voted to close debate on Wright, clearing the way for a floor vote. This came after Wright’s nomination gained the backing of three-quarters of the members of the Senate Energy and Water Committee earlier in January.

“I am confident that we can reverse the irresponsible policies of the Biden administration and prioritize affordable and reliable energy,” Senate Energy and Natural Resources Chair Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) said in a press release. Lee praised the  “bipartisan” vote to confirm Wright.