Doug Burgum, a two-term Republican governor of North Dakota, has now reportedly been selected by President-elect Donald Trump to serve as the next Secretary of the Interior.
Burgum would be a critical element in Trump’s pledge to increase oil and gas production, as he would be responsible for the management of the fossil fuels and minerals that are located beneath the surface of the more than 500 million acres of federal land if he is confirmed by the Senate.
After the Biden administration’s federal Bureau of Land Management (BLM) proposed regulating onshore oil and gas leases on federal lands in July 2023, the minimum lease bond was increased to 15 times the previous amount, the areas available for leasing were reduced, and the minimum bid amount was raised to five times the previous amount.
“He’s going to be announced tomorrow for a very big position. We’re going to do things with energy and with land, Interior, that is going to be incredible. … He’s going to head the Department of the Interior and he’s going to be fantastic. … We’ll make the formal announcement tomorrow.” Trump said during an appearance at Mar-a-Lago on Thursday night.
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