1. United States
2. Va.
3. Letter

On CNBC today, Energy Secretary Chris Wright said: "The world runs on hydrocarbons. It did when I was born, it does today, it will when I die. We just simply don't have replacements for most all the uses of hydrocarbons." He is flat out incorrect. I would like to hear you say so, and I would like to see you support more aggressive efforts to get us off of fossil fuels entirely within my lifetime. Renewable energy has seen steady growth in the US for years now. In 2025, it accounted for record levels of energy production here. And we are, frankly, far behind the curve. In 2025, for the first time in 100 years, they generated more of the world's electricity than coal. Australia generates over 40% of its energy from renewable resources. Germany, 45%. Portugal, 75%. Denmark, 88%. And seven nations in the world have reached over 90% renewable energy: Iceland, Norway, Paraguay, Albania, Bhutan, Nepal, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Surely American ingenuity and productivity could do match that. I'd like to hear you ask Secretary Wright if he just doesn't have faith in the American people to meet such a challenge? It's also a matter of national security -- clearly, as the past few months have shown, we will be better off if the world's energy market is not dependent upon volatile nations (including our own). No one owns the sun or the wind, and that's a benefit. I recognize many plutocrats may not see it as such, because it's in their interest to control access to a finite resource, but that is not in the national interest. Secretary Wright wants us afraid of renewable energy, but I'm not willing to cede that argument to a man who doesn't understand how batteries work. Getting us off of expensive, environmentally dangerous, security-jeopardizing fossil fuels isn't impossible. It's a matter of choice and will. Support renewable energy. It's the right thing for consumers, for the environment, for national security, and for the future of an inhabitable world.