HOUSTON (Reuters) - Chevron ( CVX ) CEO Michael Wirth on Tuesday criticized U.S. President Joe Biden's administration for what he described as "attacks on the natural gas" industry and emphasized the crucial role of Permian natural gas in powering the rapid growth of artificial intelligence (AI).

The CEO's remarks followed new government plans over policies to prevent power-hungry AI data centers from undercutting U.S. climate goals. Last week, the White House launched a task force on AI Datacenter Infrastructure to coordinate policies in line with the government's economic and environmental goals.