Trump energy pick Wright to speak to conservative event in London, group says

By Timothy Gardner

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Chris Wright, President Donald Trump's pick to head the U.S. Energy Department, is scheduled to speak to a conservative think tank in London next month, the organization said on Thursday.

At previous meetings with this group, Wright had advocated for expanding fracking operations.

A department spokesperson said Wright, who is expected to be confirmed by the Senate on Friday, would not attend the Alliance for Responsible Citizenship conference in person. It was not immediately clear whether he would address the Feb. 17-19 conference virtually.

Wright, the CEO of oilfield services company Liberty Energy, last spoke at an ARC meeting in 2023 when he said opening up fracking would be good for England, where the drilling practice is banned over environmental concerns.

"The case is simply compelling for the transformation it would be in the United Kingdom, the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution," Wright said then.

Wright believes that climate change is real but that it is a distant threat. During his confirmation hearing, he stood by his previous comments that concern about wildfires has been hyped to promote governmental policies to fight climate change.

ARC said the speakers will address topics including "the role of the family in maintaining social cohesion," free enterprise and good governance, and energy, natural resources and the environment.

ARC said other speakers slated to speak include U.S. Republican lawmakers and Bjorn Lomborg, who accepts the reality that climate change is damaging but disputes arguments that the benefits of fighting it outweigh the costs.

(Reporting by Timothy Gardner; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)