President-elect Donald Trump has tapped North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum for Interior secretary, he announced at a gala at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida Thursday night.
“I won’t tell you his name, might be something like Burgum, Burgum, … he’s gonna be announced tomorrow for a very big position,” Trump said Thursday evening. “he’s going to head the Department of Interior, and he’s gonna be fantastic. Good Doug.”
A two-term governor of a Western oil-rich state with five tribal nations, Burgum is already receiving a warm reception from Republicans on Capitol Hill, who for four years have slammed President Joe Biden’s energy policies. Democrats will be unhappy with his promises to ramp up fossil fuel production but could be less critical of him because of his experience.
Republicans who sit on the Energy and Natural Resources Committee were quick to praise the nomination.
Current ranking member John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) said of Burgum: “He recognizes how important our federal lands are for energy and mineral production, grazing and recreation. As North Dakota’s governor, he’s shown he can balance environmental stewardship with record energy development.”
North Dakota Sen. John Hoeven said Burgum “has been a great partner as we’ve worked to build North Dakota’s energy leadership, and in this role, [he] can help to not only restore American energy security, but make America energy-dominant.”
The nomination will likely come as welcome news to many other senators, like Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), who hoped Trump would pick a Westerner.
“Guys who know the issues,” Sullivan said earlier this week. “You gotta have a Westerner.”
Both of Trump’s Interior secretaries in his first term also heaped praise on Burgum. One of them, Rep. Ryan Zinke (R-Mont.), who now serves in the House, said Burgum was an ally.
“When I was secretary he was a trusted partner advancing the president’s priorities on energy dominance, rolling back the regulatory overreach of the Obama Administration, and ensuring we strike the right balance regarding the multiple uses of our federal lands,” in a post to X.
If he’s confirmed, Burgum, a businessman who became North Dakota governor in 2016 and had a short-lived campaign for the presidency in 2024, will control the country’s public lands and wildlife conservation and have broad authority over oil and gas drilling leases.
As a presidential candidate and Trump surrogate who was once considered for vice president, Burgum has called for expanded energy and mineral production on public lands and has been a chief messenger against Democratic energy and public lands policies.
Democrats are likely to pounce on Burgum’s calls for increased energy production during the confirmation process. But at least one top Democrats is taking a wait-and-see approach with Burgum.
“Could be worse for sure,” said Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.), a senior member of the House Natural Resources Committee. “I look forward to trying to work productively with him.”
Environmental advocacy groups, however, are already coming out against Burgum’s nomination, claiming he will sacrifice public lands and wildlife for the fossil fuel industry.
“Burgum will be a disastrous Secretary of the Interior who’ll sacrifice our public lands and endangered wildlife on the altar of the fossil fuel industry’s profits,” said Kierán Suckling, executive director at the Center for Biological Diversity.
“Like Musk, Burgum is an oligarch completely out of touch with the overwhelming majority of Americans who cherish our natural heritage and don’t want our parks, wildlife refuges and other special places carved up and destroyed.”
Suckling said, “We’re ready to fight Burgum and Trump’s extreme agenda every step of the way.”
Andres Picon contributed to this report.
