Tuesday, February 11, 2025
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Doug Burgum Confirmed as Interior Secretary

(Washington, DC) — Doug Burgum is confirmed as the next Department of the Interior secretary. The U.S. Senate voted 79-18 Thursday to confirm the former North Dakota governor to the post in the Trump Administration.

Burgum will now be tasked with overseeing President Trump’s agenda of achieving American “energy dominance” and the “drill baby, drill” mantra that has been mentioned by Trump on numerous occasions. Burgum will also chair the new National Energy Council and have a seat on the National Security Council, a first for the interior secretary.

“Doug Burgum is tailor-made for the Secretary of the Interior,” said U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND), who voted in favor or Burgum’s nomination. “North Dakota embodies Teddy Roosevelt’s multiple use doctrine for public lands, balancing energy development, ranching, conservation, and recreation on some of the most beautiful, productive landscapes in the nation. Doug’s leadership in North Dakota and coordination with our tribes are models for our nation. He has a lot of work to do righting the ship, but his consensus-driven leadership style is up to the task.”

Ag groups issued their congratulations to Burgum, including the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) and Public Lands Council (PLC). “NCBA and PLC congratulate Doug Burgum on his confirmation as Secretary of the Interior. Secretary Burgum has a proven record of supporting rural communities and promoting a balanced approach to energy development and conservation. His leadership will be critical for ensuring that ranchers and public lands grazing permittees are recognized as a valuable partner in stewarding Western landscapes and for removing regulatory burdens that have plagued management of grazing allotments for decades,” said Kaitlynn Glover, executive director of PLC and NCBA Natural Resources. “We look forward to working with Secretary Burgum to protect the livelihoods of ranchers who rely on public lands, safeguard the health of these ecosystems, and promote policies that benefit rural communities and the entire nation.”

The American Sugar Alliance issued the following statement on Doug Burgum’s confirmation as Secretary of the Interior, saying that The American Sugar Alliance congratulates Doug Burgum on his confirmation as Secretary of the Interior. His leadership will be essential to ensuring that America’s farmers have the resources they need to succeed. As the former governor of North Dakota, home to the Red River Valley, the largest sugarbeet-production region in America, we know Secretary Burgum understands how important domestic sugar production is to ensure a reliable supply of a critical ingredient and to strengthen our national food security. We look forward to working with him to address the challenges facing rural communities and advancing policies that put America’s farmers first.”

Some groups, however, have not been fully on board with Burgum’s nomination. Danielle Murray, founder of the Public Lands Center, released the following statement after Burgum’s confirmation saying that “Secretary Burgum must run the Interior Department to benefit all Americans – not just the wealthiest. The bare minimum to meet that standard should be to keep public lands in public hands, as Congress intended when it created the Bureau of Land Management in 1976. Americans are trusting Secretary Burgum to reject any attempt to wrest control of our outdoor heritage, whether it’s giving into Utah’s land disposal quest or by putting extractive industries first in the management of public lands. These lands belong to all of us and future generations.

Burgum is in line to become the second former North Dakota governor to serve as a U.S. Cabinet secretary. Governor Ed Schafer was Agriculture Secretary under President George W. Bush from 2008 to 2009.

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