Doug Burgum, a supporter of oil and gas, was confirmed by the Senate on Thursday to lead the interior department, a role in which it will oversee drilling and mining policies in federal areas and waters.
The 79-18 vote for Mr Burgum mentions him nearly 500 million acres of public land, 1.7 billion acres Management of national parks and maintenance and maintenance of racial soils.
It is expected to be a key player for the application of President Trump’s “Drill, Baby, Drill”, which requires to be facilitated and worn by oil companies and to relax wildlife protections as well as loosen limits at the air and water pollution.
In addition to the guidance of the interior department, Mr Burgum is also to execute a White House council tasked with encouraging more oil and gas growth. The role of the Council is still indefinable, but is expected to help achieve Mr Trump’s goal to sell more American oil and gas in Europe and Asia.
During the presidential campaign, Mr Burgum acted as a pipeline between Mr Trump and the oil and gas industry. He helped gather fossilized fuel executives at Mar-A-Lago for a famous dinner, during which Mr Trump suggested that industry leaders increase $ 1 billion for his campaign. He told executives that they would save much more than them on tax relief and legal fees after the elimination of climate policies, according to several participants who called for anonymity to discuss the private event.
Mr Burgum’s role and his close ties with billionaires of oil, including Harold Hamm, the founder of oil giant continental resources, has imposed criticism of many democrats.
In written answers to the legislators, Mr Burgum violated a question by Senator Ron Wyden, a Democratic Oregon, about whether he played a role in meetings between oil and Mr Trump during the campaign where public policy was discussed as well as the campaign. Mr Burgum wrote that Mr Trump’s “Energy Dominance” message is consistent independently of the space. “
Republicans have relieved that Mr Burgum will reverse Biden’s administration policies designed to reduce puncture and mining while increasing maintenance.
Senator Mike Lee, Utah Republican and Chairman of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, accused Biden’s administration and former Deb Haaland secretary for fossil fuels “Throttling”.
“Governor Doug Burgum understands what Haaland has apparently forgotten, that abundant accessible energy is a fundamental pillar of our national security,” he said.
Many Democrats have said that Mr Burgum’s vision of releasing fossil fuel threatens the nation.
“Trump’s climate and energy administration policies are not a mystery. It is to aggravate the climate crisis,” said Senator Brian Schatz, a Democrat of Hawaii, who spoke against Mr Burgum, still voted for him.
Kierán Suckling, executive director at the Center for Biological Diversity, was indefinite in his words for the Democrats. “It is alarming that so many Senate Democrats have been deceived to vote for an oligarchy now accused of seizing public territory and wildlife of the nation,” he said. “If the Democrats want to know why so many people are frustrated, they should not look beyond this vote.”
A former executive of Microsoft, who served two terms as North Dakota’s ruler, Mr Burgum soon ran to the White House before leaving the fight to approve Mr Trump and become his adviser on energy issues.
During his hearing confirmation, Mr Burgum said he saw the public territories and waters of America in the context of the country’s financial balance sheet, with potential trillions of dollars of oil, gas and minerals waiting to be exported below .
“We have all this debt,” Mr Burgum said. But “we never talk about assets,” he said. “It is our responsibility to get a return for the American people.”
“Not every acre of federal land is a national park or an area of ​​wildlife,” Burgum said, adding: “Some of these areas we need to protect perfectly for valuable things, but the rest, this is its balance sheet America. “
Mr Burgum He said that any kiosk in energy production created a threat of national security and approved Mr Trump’s vision of “energy sovereignty”, a phrase that is shortcut for more fossil fuel production.
He also insisted that the United States was in the middle of an energy crisis, even when it produces more oil than any nation at all times in history and is the leading exporter of liquefied natural gas in the world.
Mr Burgum said he would follow a strategy of “all of the above”, but also said he would reduce the incentives for what he called “intermittent” electricity projects, referring to renewable energy such as wind and solar energy.
He said there was a very so -called “intermittent” force built in recent years and not enough basic load, referring to gas or carbon that can be stored and burned for electricity production.
Emissions from the burning of fossil fuels produced in federal territories and waters account for almost 22 % of US greenhouse gases.
