Energy secretary urges pipeline builds, criticizes California energy costs and import reliance

Energy Secretary Chris Wright said the administration will prioritize building energy infrastructure to lower costs and improve reliability, citing a recent groundbreaking for a pipeline from Pennsylvania to Brooklyn intended to bring lower-cost natural gas to New York City and Long Island.

Wright criticized California's energy outcomes, saying the state had "the most expensive gasoline, diesel, jet fuel" and asserting that "today, California gets 60% of its oil imported from overseas," with a "fair chunk" of that passing through the Straits of Hormuz. He presented expanded pipeline connections and increased domestic production as ways to push down consumer prices and increase energy security.

Wright framed these projects as part of the president's energy agenda to broaden access to affordable energy, naming plans to extend similar infrastructure to New England and, aspirationally, to West Coast states. The interview did not include regulatory, environmental or tribal-permitting details for the pipeline projects, nor did it present independent verification of the 60% import figure for California; that percentage was stated by the secretary on air.

Wright said the administration had a recent groundbreaking ceremony in Brooklyn for a new gas pipeline "that'll go from Pennsylvania to Brooklyn to power New York City and Long Island with low-cost natural gas." He argued such projects would lower consumer costs and increase energy security, but did not present on-air cost estimates, timelines, or clearings needed to bring those projects into service.