Exclusive: Energy secretary touts end of DEI, ‘returning to meritocracy’ By EPN Staff This is the second part of a three-part series from EPN’s exclusive interview with U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright. The Trump administration is working to end social and demographic-based preferential treatment, restore a national focus on merit and reset federal policy priorities to emphasize reliability, affordability and responsible stewardship of tax dollars. U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright delivered that message during his recent exclusive interview with Energy Platform News. Wright, a longtime energy industry executive from Colorado, reiterated the administration’s commitment to working with states and applying common sense policies that support economic opportunities. He pointed to Alaska and the territory of Puerto Rico as specific examples of how the Biden administration’s policies hindered residents and local economies, and he outlined the Trump administration’s efforts to course correct. Why it matters The administration’s rollback of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) policies championed by the Biden administration will provide a fairer, more simplified approach to evaluating and supporting personnel and projects, Wright said. “We’re returning to a meritocracy,” he said. Under the Trump administration, the Department of Energy also is reversing the prior administration’s efforts to funnel taxpayer dollars to impractical or agenda-driven projects, Wright said. He pointed to Puerto Rico, where the vast majority of electricity is generated by fossil fuels, and noted the Biden administration pushed billions in funding to build out renewable energy and battery storage projects. “No country, no state, no place runs on those – and ever will run on those – exclusively,” Wright said, noting the island’s expensive and unreliable electricity, driven by Democratic policies, has contributed to more residents embracing Republican leadership. The Department of Energy is now redirecting funds previously earmarked for solar and battery systems to support grid restoration and reliability. The bigger picture Efforts to leverage energy resources and promote private development can yield direct benefits to the public, especially in rural communities and among historically disadvantaged groups such as indigenous people, Wright said. “Who wants (energy development) the most? Rural people,” Wright said. “And most Native Americans are rural people, they’re overwhelmingly supportive of energy and mining development in Alaska.” Those benefits can ripple across the nation and create additional opportunities that build positive momentum. The federal government, meanwhile, can play an important role in supporting advanced research through its network of national laboratories. Wright said scientists and staff must be focused on legitimate research that seeks to better Americans’ lives and strengthen the nation’s competitive advantage. “I want to do more great science than before I got here, but can we cut 10, 20 percent out of the national labs and lose almost nothing?” he asked. “I believe we can.” Additional context Promoting policies that prioritize affordability and abundant, reliable domestic energy can also contribute to stronger U.S. companies, more prosperous American workers, a more resilient economy and a more secure nation, Wright said. “The government isn’t going to spend hundreds of millions of dollars to build these data centers,” Wright said. “Private businesses are. But if we continued the policies of the last four years, they’d build a lot of those data centers overseas, in the Middle East or in Asia, where they can get a reasonable regulatory regime and lower cost energy. “We’ve got to provide it right here. We’ve got it, we’ve got the resources.”
