Doug Burgum. And when energy industry lobbyists were looking for help taking on Biden administration greenhouse gas rules, they also turned to Burgum. And his assistance came at a time when Burgum was leaning on those very connections to build his national profile in the Republican Party.
If confirmed to run the Interior Department — as soon as Thursday — Burgum will have vast control over federal lands, including the issuance of oil and gas leases, as well as a mandate from Trump to extract such resources even though the U. The White House did not respond to a request for comment, and a spokesman for Burgum declined to make him available for an interview.
As governor, he met with job creators and leaders who generated opportunities for the people of North Dakota. The billionaire Oklahoma wildcatter advises Trump on energy policy and is widely viewed as playing a role in helping Burgum secure the nomination to lead Interior. These were not his only displays of patronage. During his Senate confirmation hearing this month, he was dismissive of renewable energy , such as wind power, suggesting such sources were unreliable when compared to fossil fuels.
In early , as Hamm prepared to publish a memoir, Continental lobbyist Blu Hulsey emailed to ask if Burgum could write a blurb praising the book, the newly obtained records show. Ethics experts say there are other aspects of their relationship that pose a greater conflict of interest. As governor, Burgum never disclosed that his family leased roughly acres of farmland to Continental for well drilling, as previously reported by CNBC. As the publicly available disclosures show: the cited agreement began many years before he became governor.
If completed, it will transport earth-warming CO2 gas that is the byproduct of ethanol fuel production to North Dakota, where it will be stored deep underground. Sarah Vogel, a Democrat and former North Dakota Agriculture Commissioner who previously sat on the commission, said Burgum seemed more like a cheerleader of the industry than a regulator. Hamm is not the only oil executive or lobbyist who has cultivated ties with Burgum, emails and office schedules show.
