Doug Burgum Is Confirmed by Senate as Interior Secretary
Doug Burgum, a promoter of oil and gas, was confirmed by the Senate on Thursday to lead the Interior Department, a role in which he will oversee drilling and mining policies on federal lands and waters.The 79-18 vote for Mr.Burgum puts him in charge of nearly 500 million acres of public land, 1.7 billion acres of offshore waters, and more than 70,000 employees across the country tasked with protecting wildlife and endangered species, managing national parks and maintaining tribal lands.
He is expected to be a key player to implement President Trump’s “drill, baby, drill” agenda that calls for making it easier and cheaper for oil companies to operate, and loosening protections for wildlife as well as easing limits on air and water pollution.In addition to leading the Interior Department, Mr.Burgum is also to run a White House council charged with encouraging more oil and gas development.
The role of the council is still undefined but it is expected to help meet Mr.Trump’s goal of selling more American oil and gas to Europe and Asia.During the presidential campaign, Mr.
Burgum acted as a conduit between Mr.Trump and the oil and gas industry.
He helped gather fossil fuel executives at Mar-a-Lago for a now-famous dinner, during which Mr.Trump suggested that industry leaders raise $1 billion for his campaign.
He told the executives they would save far more than that in tax breaks and legal fees after he eliminated climate policies, according to several attendees who requested anonymity to discuss the private event.Mr.Burgum’s role and his close ties to oil billionaires, including Harold Hamm, the founder of oil giant Continental Resources, drew criticism from many Democrats.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.
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