WASHINGTON, Jan 30 (Reuters) - Chris Wright, President

Donald Trump's pick to head the U.S. Energy Department, is

scheduled to speak to a conservative think tank in London next

month, the organization said on Thursday.

At previous meetings with this group, Wright had advocated

for expanding fracking operations.

A department spokesperson said Wright, who is expected to be

confirmed by the Senate on Friday, would not attend the Alliance

for Responsible Citizenship conference in person. It was not

immediately clear whether he would address the Feb. 17-19

conference virtually.

Wright, the CEO of oilfield services company Liberty Energy

, last spoke at an ARC meeting in 2023 when he said

opening up fracking would be good for England, where the

drilling practice is banned over environmental concerns.

"The case is simply compelling for the transformation it

would be in the United Kingdom, the birthplace of the Industrial

Revolution," Wright said then.

Wright believes that climate change is real but that it is a

distant threat. During his confirmation hearing, he stood by his

previous comments that concern about wildfires has been hyped to

promote governmental policies to fight climate change.

ARC said the speakers will address topics including "the

role of the family in maintaining social cohesion," free

enterprise and good governance, and energy, natural resources

and the environment.

ARC said other speakers slated to speak include U.S.

Republican lawmakers and Bjorn Lomborg, who accepts the reality

that climate change is damaging but disputes arguments that the

benefits of fighting it outweigh the costs.