HOUSTON — Two members of President Donald Trump’s cabinet swept through CERAWeek by S&P Global to cheer on attendees with bombastic messages and their plans to take the U.S.’ energy industry in an entirely new direction. 

They spoke energetically and quickly, eschewing notes and frequently lauding the president. When their appearances were over, one frazzled attendee remarked, “Is it just me, or are they high on amphetamines?” 

Energy Secretary Chris Wright opened the conference March 10 by telling his audience that he wants to help reverse what he believes has been “a very poor direction in energy policy” with a “common-sense pivot in energy.” 

“The previous administration’s policy was focused myopically on climate change, with people as simply collateral damage,” he said to enthusiastic applause. “The Trump administration will treat climate change for what it is: a global physical phenomenon that is a side effect of building the modern world.” 

“I’m going to share two words that I do not think you have heard from a federal official in the Biden administration during the last four years, and those two words are, ‘Thank you,’” Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said during a March 12 luncheon address. 

“You had the ideas; you went into areas where people said it’s impossible to develop these resources; and you did it,” he said, basking in the friendly reception. “You continue to do it in the favor of your own government that’s done everything they can to try to slow you down — whether it’s permitting, whether it’s being supportive of organizations that bring unnecessary and unrealistic lawsuits — all in the name of a climate ideology that, in the end of the day, actually leads to having more emissions in the world, not less.” 

Calling himself a “climate realist,” Wright said, “The last administration recklessly pursued policies that were certain to drive up electricity prices, knowing full well that millions of additional Americans would have to look in their kids’ eyes and tell them that their lights might be going out. 

“We are unabashedly pursuing a policy of more American energy production and infrastructure, not less. Our goal is to reindustrialize America, not deindustrialize America.” 

The Trump administration has made no secret of its plans to build more gas plants and pipelines and increasing natural gas production along the Gulf Coast. It has moved quickly in reversing former President Joe Biden’s pause on new terminals to export LNG, signing four export approvals since the inauguration. 

At the same time, government officials have been dismantling most federal policies aimed at slowing global warming. 

Wright, a fracking executive and strong proponent of liquid fuels, said, “‘Drill, baby, drill’ also requires ‘Build, baby, build.’ To produce more, you have to have the infrastructure to move it to market.” 

Burgum chose a different maxim. “Mine, baby, mine.” 

Not surprisingly, Burgum and Wright both took shots at the renewable industry. 

Discussing the need to take advantage of the country’s vast natural resources, Burgum referred to “intermittent, unreliable sources for electricity, a.k.a. wind and solar.” 

“Everywhere [that] wind and solar penetration have increased significantly, prices went up,” Wright said, claiming U.S. electricity prices have risen by more than 20%, with only about 2% demand growth. 

In a Jan. 27 report, the U.S. Energy Information Administration said that, accounting for inflation, residential prices have remained between 16 and 18 cents/kWh since 2010. It expects U.S. retail electricity prices to average 16.8 cents/kWh in 2025, 2% more than last year but relatively unchanged after again accounting for inflation. 

“Beyond the obvious scale and cost problems, there is simply no physical way that wind, solar and batteries could replace the myriad uses of natural gas,” Wright said. “The previous administration’s climate policies have been impoverishing to our citizens, economically destructive to our businesses and politically polarizing. 

“The cure was far more destructive than the disease.” 

During a later media session March 10, NextEra Energy CEO John Ketchum, who runs a clean energy behemoth with a subsidiary that produces more renewable energy than anyone else in the world, was asked whether he agreed with Wright’s comments that wind and solar will be unable to replace natural gas. 

“I disagree,” he said. “First of all, we believe in all forms of energy. Not only are we the leader in renewables, but nobody operates or has developed and built more gas-fired generation in the last 20 years than NextEra. 

“However, there’s a timing difference in terms of when those generation solutions can be brought to market, and there’s a cost difference,” Ketchum said, taking care to note that NextEra has installed 175 GW of renewables, 13 GW of gas and 3 GW of nuclear over the last five years. 

“We really kind of cover the complete waterfront when it comes to the energy industry,” he said. “Renewables are ready to go right now because they’ve been up and running. When you look at gas as a solution, to get your hands on a gas turbine and to actually get it built and brought to market, you’re really looking at 2030 or later.” 

While Ketchum said NextEra’s goal is to deliver the lowest-cost options for its customers (“We don’t care if we’re selling you wind turbines or gas turbines.”), he said the industry is facing “unprecedented times” with a six-fold increase in power demand over the next 20 years, as compared to the prior 20. 

“It’s here right now, and it has to be met by something,” Ketchum said. “The issue that we’re seeing on the gas power generation side … is you have to get a long life for a gas turbine, first of all, and that gas turbine is today three times more expensive than it was just 24 months ago. 

“You also have to find the labor required to build the combined cycle facility. That’s not as easy as it once was 24 months ago because we’re building LNG terminals; we’re building oil and gas refinery expansions; we’re building data centers; and we’re building industrial manufacturing to accommodate the electrification of our economy as we’re pushing an America First agenda. 

“We have to have the generation available to meet that demand at the lowest-cost solution. Otherwise, we’re going to have a huge power affordability crisis in this country with utility bills going through the roof.”