Donald Trump's pick for secretary of the interior, Doug Burgum, said Thursday he will vigorously pursue the president-elect's goals of maximizing energy production from U.S. public lands and waters, calling it key to national security.
Burgum's comments to lawmakers during his nomination hearing signal a coming sharp turn in policy after President Joe Biden attempted for years to limit oil and gas drilling by reducing federal lease auctions and banning future development in offshore waters as part of a strategy to fight climate change.
"America produces energy cleaner, smarter and safer than anywhere in the world. When energy production is restricted in America, it doesn’t reduce demand, it just shifts production to countries like Russia, Venezuela, and Iran – whose autocratic leaders don’t care about the environment," Burgum said.
Maximizing energy output can lower consumer prices, and can be done while ensuring clean air and water, he added.
The Interior Department oversees millions of acres of lands and offshore waters stretching from the Arctic to the Gulf of Mexico, and leases out parcels for drilling operations that now produce around a quarter of the U.S. oil and gas output.
The United States is already the world's top oil and gas producer thanks to a years-long drilling boom, mainly on private lands in Texas and New Mexico, fueled by improved technology and strong world demand since Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Burgum, who served as governor of North Dakota, is also being considered to head a new national council to coordinate policies to boost U.S. energy output after Trump takes office.
North Dakota ranks third among U.S. states, after Texas and New Mexico, in crude oil reserves and production, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.