Trump Taps Gov. Doug Burgum to Run Department of Interior
Breaking this evening.
The Trump-Vance cabinet pick I’ve been waiting for was announced tonight: outgoing North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum will lead the Department of the Interior (DOI).
At the American First Policy gala in Florida, president-elect Donald Trump announced he’s tapping the energy savvy Doug Burgum - a one-time 2024 Republican rival - to oversee DOI. DOI handles energy production. But it also oversees 75% of federal land West of the Mississippi. Here are its 11 technical agencies:
Some of Burgum’s past energy positions - putting North Dakota on the path to carbon neutrality (net-zero) and supporting controversial carbon pipelines - could raise some eyebrows. I suspect Trump talked him out of supporting both— especially by doling out this nomination. Interior, however, is much more than energy, and I don’t see President Trump supporting net-zero. Period. Thankfully, Burgum isn’t against fossil fuels.
North Dakota belongs to the Western Governors Association, so Burgum is Western US-adjacent. Whew. It’s imperative to have a secretary who hails from the West (or close enough).
Burgum is also an avid sportsman and bowhunter. He created an Office for Outdoor Recreation during his time as Governor. He has a decent grasp of true conservation, as well.
Burgum received praise from a past Trump DOI secretary: David Bernhardt. Bernhardt tweeted, “Congratulations to @DougBurgum on his nomination to be Secretary of the Interior! @realDonaldTrump's excellent choice reflects his commitment to American energy independence. Burgum’s expertise will help lower energy costs for families, cut needless red tape, and restore U.S. energy dominance while balancing conservation efforts. A win for all Americans!”
After four years of climate alarmism tainting the Department of Interior, Burgum can restore normalcy to 1849 C Street, N.W.
To get up to speed on Deb Haaland’s disastrous tenure at DOI, listen to my podcast District of Conservation. I’ll have a special Friday episode, tomorrow, detailing Burgum’s background and credentials on the show.
That is good news. We do need to repair the damage that has been done by the climate catastrophists.
The worst part is that there are 11 agencies within the DOI. That is the definition of red tape because there are too many people making decisions that likely conflict with each other.
Thank you for keeping us informed.