This piece was originally published on RealClearEnergy.

It’s a new year, and there’s enthusiasm in the air for the incoming Trump Administration. Opportunities abound to expand the U.S. economy and influence around the world, working to bring more peace and prosperity to people and parts of the planet that need it most. Look no further than American-made energy and related innovation opportunities with Chris Wright, the nominee to be the next Secretary of Energy. Chris’s nomination hearing is scheduled for this week and I hope that he sails through.

Full disclosure: I know Chris and am excited about what his experienced and enthusiastic leadership will do for U.S. energy and the rest of the freedom-loving world. Chris understands energy from top to bottom – the geology, technology, business, and geopolitics of energy. While he is most well known for being CEO of Liberty Energy, an oil and natural gas equipment company, he also serves on the boards and has invested in Fervo Energy (enhanced geothermal) and Oklo (small modular nuclear). Prior to Liberty Energy, he helped map the natural gas geological resources that helped provide affordable, cleaner energy to American families and businesses and turned the U.S. from being a net energy importer to a net energy exporter.

Forbes magazine jokes that Wright would be a “Secretary of Energy who has spent a career in the energy business.” That is a big vote in his favor, of course. He understands the importance of energy, and he knows how to get things done.

Chris is also serious about the climate challenge but is clear-eyed about the importance of fossil fuels for the long haul. For example, Chris would rather see billions of people burning clean propane to generate heat and cook food than see them burning wood or animal waste – which is still the harsh reality for many). So much so that he helped to found the Bettering Human Lives Foundation, which “aims to increase access to clean cooking fuels by directly supporting local innovators and entrepreneurs to start and grow their businesses.”

He knows (and has written) that we won’t stop climate change by starving people, or by forcing them to spend all their time collecting fuel. They should use clean (often American-produced) propane and spend their time on productive work. Perhaps someone born today in India or Africa with one of Wright’s propane stoves in the home will get a good education and grow up to develop a device that can pull CO2 from the air. There are Edisons everywhere, but some never had a chance to go to school. Wright works to give them that chance.

The positive energy agenda is simple enough to explain in one sentence: All of the above and below energy must be unleashed.

>>>READ: A Look at Trump’s National Energy Council 

Humanity requires an abundance of energy to thrive. In the U.S., that means approving pipelines, fossil fuel exports, and the harvesting of mineral resources (for batteries, nuclear, renewables, and other electronics) on federal land.

The U.S. should also generate more nuclear power. Instead of shutting down plants like Indian Point in New York (closed in 2021), we need to be building more. City Journal notes that “in the first full month after closure, New York’s carbon emissions from in-state generation rose 35 percent” because the state burned natural gas to replace the plant’s electricity output.

We can build large facilities such as Plant Vogtle in Georgia, which is now “the largest generator of clean energy in the U.S.” But that takes decades, and even if Wright could slash all the red tape, we wouldn’t be able to bring capacity online until the 2030s. We should also explore Small Modular Reactors, a proven fission technology that can produce plenty of CO2-free electricity soon.

I have no doubt Chris will go to work on Day One to slash unnecessary regulations and clear the way for permitting reform. He will also serve as a key communicator, advocating for energy abundance while promoting a cleaner environment.. As an industry executive, he understands that companies are subject to market incentives. A company that provides clean energy and protects employees will be more successful than one that provides dirty energy and endangers employees.

>>>READ: Keep Permitting a Priority in 2025

Some oversight is necessary because, of course, human nature is flawed. But companies should be free to experiment and reap the rewards of their success. A better tax policy would help here. When the next tax package is drafted in 2025, it should include immediate expensing, which allows companies to write off major purchases when they are made instead of spreading out the cost over decades. Immediate expensing would encourage investment and, thus, experimentation. Expensing is a pro-growth, technology-neutral tax policy far better than throwing taxpayer resources at mature energy technologies.

Chris has his priorities in the correct order. “Zero Energy Poverty by 2050 is a superior goal compared to Net Zero emissions by 2050,” his company wrote. Chris Wright is giving up leadership of that company, but not that goal.

It’s an exciting time in the U.S., and I have no doubt that Chris will help make life better for Americans and people everywhere. That’s the energy and climate agenda we need.

Let’s hope the U.S. Senate approves him quickly so that he and his team can get to work.

The views and opinions expressed are those of the author’s and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of C3.