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Energy Secretary Chris Wright raised eyebrows Tuesday after remarks at a groundbreaking for a natural gas pipeline project included language that some viewers interpreted as saying the United States was headed the “wrong direction,” according to the Associated Press. Wright spoke at a ceremony in Brooklyn for a project that officials described as intended to move natural gas from Pennsylvania into New York City and Long Island.
During the remarks, Wright hailed the Trump administration’s approach to energy infrastructure, including comments that President Donald Trump was “about driving down costs for Americans and driving up job opportunities and wages for Americans,” the AP reported. Moments later, an apparent gaffe followed when he said, “Just because it looks like we’re going in the wrong direction doesn’t mean that’s the direction we are going,” after first telling the audience the country “looks like we’re going in the wrong direction.”
The Energy Department later posted excerpts of Wright’s speech that did not include the “wrong direction” comment, prompting questions about what had been omitted. Ben Dietderich, an Energy Department spokesman, denied any deliberate editing on the department’s YouTube account, the AP reported, saying the clips were presented under “standard editing.” Dietderich also pointed viewers to fuller remarks available on the department’s X account.
The Associated Press said the full remarks from Wright and other speakers could be found on the department’s social media channels. Dietderich provided context for the phrase, saying the secretary was referring to the wrong direction the country was experiencing under the Biden administration and under other Democrat leaders.
The episode landed amid ongoing efforts to restart major energy infrastructure projects that had faced years of delays. On Tuesday, Wright and other Trump officials also addressed the Northeast Supply Enhancement Pipeline at the Brooklyn groundbreaking. Officials said the project is being developed by the Williams Companies and would expand an existing pipeline system across Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York.
AP reported that the pipeline expansion, along with another Williams pipeline known as the Constitution Pipeline, had been long blocked over environmental concerns. The Trump administration, which has emphasized expanding oil and gas infrastructure, moved to restart efforts to build the pipelines, according to the AP, with the restarts occurring shortly after the administration withdrew its opposition to a massive wind project off Long Island that New York Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul had championed.
Hochul agreed to review the pipeline projects last year amid intense lobbying from the Trump administration, the AP reported. She denied that any deal connected the wind farm and gas pipelines, saying in a statement that she “ will work with the administration and private entities on new energy projects that meet the legal requirements under New York law.”