Doug Burgum, a former North Dakota governor and President Trump’s pick for Interior Secretary, said during his Senate confirmation hearing that he aims to expand fossil fuel production on public lands and waters, framing energy dominance as key to national security.
Lisa Friedman reports for The New York Times.
In short:
- Burgum advocated for treating U.S. public lands and waters as economic assets to extract oil, gas and minerals, claiming it would boost revenues and reduce the national debt.
- He dismissed limits on energy production, labeling them a threat to national security, and criticized Biden administration policies for curbing fossil fuel development.
- Despite ties to oil executives and personal financial benefits from drilling, lawmakers avoided raising potential conflicts of interest during the hearing.
Key quote:
“When energy production is restricted in America it doesn’t reduce demand. It just shifts production to countries like Russia and Iran.”
— Doug Burgum, Interior Secretary nominee
Why this matters:
Burgum's vision skews heavily toward extracting every last drop of potential from federal lands and waters. What he failed to address — and lawmakers largely avoided — is the environmental wreckage this strategy could leave behind, not to mention his own financial stakes in the energy game.
Read more: The fossil fuel industry is disproportionately harming low-income and minority women.
