"While the president-elect has celebrated Doug Burgum’s record on oil and gas, the North Dakota governor would have a far wider range of responsibilities as head of the Interior Department."

"North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum is expected to implement President-elect Donald Trump’s “drill, baby, drill” ethos on public lands and waters if confirmed to helm the massive Interior Department.

But the self-styled CEO of North Dakota, who Trump revealed Thursday night he would nominate as Interior secretary, would have a role much broader than advancing drilling for oil. As head of Interior, he would oversee the fate of mining operations, work with Native American tribes, preside over the National Park System, juggle conservation efforts and help determine the fate of renewable energy across public lands.

Burgum is expected to lean heavily on his lessons learned from serving as governor of North Dakota, an oil-rich state with a large Native American population. He had never served in public office when elected governor in 2016, after building a fortune as a software executive. He sold his company Great Plains Software to Microsoft for more than $1 billion in 2001."

Heather Richards, Scott Streater, Jennifer Yachnin, and Hannah Northey report for E&E News November 15, 2024. [2]

SEE ALSO:

"Trump Taps Burgum To Lead Energy Council, Interior Department" (E&E News) [3]

"Burgum Will Be Trump’s Energy Czar" (New York Times) [4]