North Dakota governor charts his path to Interior with a rosy state oil and gas outlook
North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum has handed his final budget blueprint to lawmakers that includes a rosy picture based largely on his state’s success in extracting near-record levels of oil and gas from the ground
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump has given his choice for Interior secretary a mandate to “Drill baby drill,” and on Wednesday his pick, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, offered a rosy budget picture to lawmakers based largely on his state’s success in extracting near-record levels of oil and gas from the ground.
Burgum, whose term ends next week, noted North Dakota's status as the nation's No. 3 oil-producing state in his final proposed budget before he begins his role in Trump's administration, pending Senate confirmation. Besides serving as Interior secretary, Trump has chosen Burgum to lead a newly created National Energy Council that intends to ensure U.S. “energy dominance.”
“We look forward to the next four years where we believe that there’s going to be a shift towards innovation over regulation and an opportunity for North Dakota and our mineral owners to be able to more quickly and easily get permitting to access those natural resources for our country,” Burgum told a packed House chamber, also lamenting dozens of energy-related federal regulations his state is fighting.
Burgum, a two-term governor and wealthy software entrepreneur, would seem a good choice to carry out Trump's mandate for both the new council and Interior, where he would oversee public lands and natural resources. Environmentalists are worried about what Trump's second term will mean for climate-change initiatives. Trump has said he will roll back President Joe Biden's policies.
