WASHINGTON (AP) 鈥� Energy Secretary Chris Wright raised eyebrows Tuesday after saying the country 鈥渓ooks like we鈥檙e going in the wrong direction鈥� in remarks hailing a new natural gas pipeline project.
Speaking at a groundbreaking for a project that will transport natural gas from Pennsylvania into New York City and Long Island, Wright said President Donald Trump 鈥渋s about driving down costs for Americans and driving up job opportunities and wages for Americans.鈥�
Moments later, Wright apparently misspoke as he said, 鈥淛ust because it looks like we鈥檙e going in the wrong direction doesn鈥檛 mean that鈥檚 the direction we are going.鈥�
The Energy Department later posted excerpts of Wright’s speech that did not include the 鈥渨rong direction鈥� comment.
Energy spokesman Ben Dietderich later denied any deliberate editing on the department鈥檚 YouTube account, saying the excerpts were presented under 鈥渟tandard editing.鈥� The full remarks from Wright and other speakers can be seen on the department鈥檚 X account, he said.
鈥淭he secretary was referring to the wrong direction the country was experiencing under the Biden administration and under other Democrat leaders,鈥� Dietderich said.
The apparent gaffe comes a month after Wright posted a video on social media that claimed the U.S. Navy had helped an oil tanker through the . The strait is a key access point for oil and natural gas shipments in the Middle East and has been largely blocked during the Iran war. The video was quickly taken down, and officials blamed Wright’s staff for the error.
On Tuesday, Wright and other Trump officials spoke at a groundbreaking in Brooklyn for the Northeast Supply Enhancement Pipeline. Officials said the project, to be developed by the Williams Companies, will provide affordable and reliable energy for millions of Americans in the region.
The project is an expansion of an existing pipeline system across Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York and was a priority for the Trump administration.
The project, along with another Williams pipeline, the Constitution Pipeline, was long blocked over environmental concerns. The Trump administration, which has emphasized development of oil and gas infrastructure, pushed to restart efforts to build the pipelines.
The restarts came shortly after the Trump administration withdrew its opposition to a that New York Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul championed.
Hochul agreed to review the pipeline projects last year amid intense lobbying from the Trump administration. Hochul denied any deal connecting the wind farm and gas pipelines, saying in a statement that she 鈥� that meet the legal requirements under New York law.鈥�
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