Former North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum is set to appear before a Senate committee on Thursday as lawmakers evaluate his nomination to oversee the management of U.S. public lands and waters.
The appointment comes after President-elect Donald Trump nominated Burgum to serve as the secretary of the interior and to lead the newly established National Energy Council, which is tasked with advancing the development of oil, gas, and other energy resources.
The Interior Department supervises approximately 500 million acres of federal land and extensive offshore regions, which together are responsible for roughly a quarter of the nation’s crude oil production, equating to over one billion barrels each year.
This makes these areas crucial in ongoing discussions about strategies to tackle climate change.
Under President Joe Biden, the administration has reduced the sale of new oil and gas leases on public lands as part of its climate change initiatives.
Nonetheless, due to high prices, oil production reached record levels during Biden’s administration, driven by exploration in lands that had previously been leased.
Burgum, a wealthy entrepreneur from the software industry who was raised on a family farm, has served as governor of the oil-rich North Dakota for two terms.
After suspending his own 2024 presidential campaign, he endorsed Trump.
As chair of the National Energy Council, Burgum could be influential in Trump’s plans to increase oil and energy exports to allies in Europe and beyond.
Trump has typically expressed skepticism about renewable energy sources, including offshore wind farms, and it remains to be seen how this sentiment will shape policies within the Interior Department.
North Dakota has experienced a significant increase in wind power development in recent years. During his governorship, Burgum proposed initiatives aimed at achieving carbon neutrality by 2030, including a pipeline project designed to capture and sequester greenhouse gases linked to climate change.
He has characterized these efforts as profitable business ventures, though critics of carbon capture argue that the technology has not been proven on a large scale and permits the fossil fuel sector to persist in its current form.
The Interior Department’s responsibilities extend beyond fossil fuel management; they also encompass grazing rights, mining, the conservation of fish and wildlife, the National Park system, and obligations to over 500 Native American and Alaska Native tribes.
During Trump’s initial term, the administration faced intense disputes over initiatives that reduced safeguards for endangered species and hastened the approval of infrastructure projects such as highways and pipelines.
Many of these measures were subsequently challenged through legal actions or undone under Biden’s leadership.
Thursday’s hearing with the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee follows a day of disruption at a related meeting, where protesters consistently interrupted proceedings during the confirmation hearing for Chris Wright, another member of Trump’s energy team.
Wright committed to advocating for all types of American energy while acknowledging the role of fossil fuels in climate change.
