Trump Energy secretary: Clean energy tax credits a 'big mistake'

Energy Secretary Chris Wright railed against clean energy tax credits Tuesday, defending the Trump administration’s efforts to increase manufacturing powered by coal, natural gas and oil. 

His criticism of financial incentives for citizens’ use of renewable energy came during a morning appearance on Fox Business’s “Varney & Co” and coincided with Earth Day — which is typically hailed as a time to champion environmental protections. 

“I think it’s a big mistake,” Wright told host Stuart Varney, referring to energy tax credits.

“That term 'clean energy' is just a marketing term. There’s no clean energy. All energy sources involve trade-offs," he continued. "Solar and wind take over 100 times more land, 10 times more steel and cement and heavy materials to produce. There’s no clean energy; there’s just different trade-offs."

The Internal Revenue Service currently provides a residential credit to help fund the cost of clean energy improvements — those that seek to curb greenhouse gas emissions — installed from 2022 through 2032. Qualifying expenses include solar electric panels, solar water heaters, wind turbines, geothermal heat pumps, fuel cells and battery storage technology. 

Wright pegged the credit as an effort to make politicians “feel good” with few accomplishments.

“These variable weather-dependent energy sources are heavily subsidized, which means there’s jobs to build those things in certain communities and politicians think that feels good," he said. "But at the end of the day, the result of them has been more expensive electricity in the United States, less reliable grid and the continual outsourcing of energy-intensive jobs out of our country."

“Like this is absolutely the wrong direction, and President Trump got elected to stop that nonsense. Bring back common sense. People want affordable products," Wright continued. "They want reliable electricity. They want manufacturing jobs in the United States."

Later in the segment, Wright also suggested global warming could be a positive factor for humans on Earth.

“Ten times more people die of the cold every year than die of the warm. So a little bit warmer planet means a little less risky for human beings," the Energy chief said. "Of course, there’s positives to global warming and there’s negatives too."

Researchers have noted an extreme rise in the melting sea ice in Arctic regions leading to the destruction of livable landmasses in Greenland and West Antarctica, which has posed threats for humans and animals, as an example of global warming, according to the World Wildlife Fund.

The speed and magnitude of the sea-level rise could cause persistent challenges for coastal regions including widespread loss of agricultural land, infrastructure and livelihoods, the conservation organization explained.