(Reuters) – The U.S. Senate on Thursday confirmed Doug Burgum, the former governor of North Dakota, as President Donald Trump’s interior secretary.
The vote was 79 to 18.
Burgum, 68, will lead an agency that guides the use of 500 million acres (202 million hectares) of federal and tribal land, a fifth of the nation’s surface area.
He is expected to pursue Trump’s goal of maximizing energy and mineral production on public lands, likely by ratcheting up new leasing in oil-producing states like Wyoming and New Mexico and in the Gulf of Mexico, which Trump has said is now officially called the Gulf of America.
A wealthy former software executive, Burgum has portrayed himself as a traditional, business-minded conservative.
During his nomination hearing, Burgum said he would expand oil and gas drilling rights auctions and support permitting reforms that could speed development of energy projects like transmission lines and pipelines.
His comments signaled a sharp turn in federal policy after former President Joe Biden’s administration sought to limit oil and gas drilling on federal lands and promote renewable energy sources like wind and solar as part of its climate change agenda.
Burgum ran against Trump for the Republican presidential nomination before quitting and becoming a Trump supporter. He is also being considered to head a new national council to coordinate policies to boost U.S. energy output.
(Reporting by Nichola Groom; Editing by Nia Williams)
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