Washington, D.C. — Today, the U.S. Senate voted to confirm Doug Burgum as U.S. Interior Secretary. Like many of President Trump’s other Cabinet members and nominees, Burgum raises serious concerns for the future of responsible investing and the clean energy economy.
In response, Unlocking America’s Future Spokesperson Kyle Herrig said the following:
“During his confirmation hearing, Doug Burgum questioned the reliability of clean energy sources and doubled down on his unwavering support of fossil fuels. It’s clear that as Interior Secretary, Burgum will stand with Big Oil and Trump’s billionaire friends to shill for the oil and gas industry. With him as our Energy Secretary, our public lands and Americans’ hard-earned savings are at greater risk.”
Additional Background:
- Burgum accepted hundreds of thousands of dollars from the oil and gas industry, which were his top two donor industries five out of six years since he was elected as governor. Burgum also personally profited from leasing land to an oil company founded by his and Donald Trump’s megadonor Harold Hamm.
- Burgum disputed established climate science and denied that human activity caused climate change. Burgum called for oil and gas exploration and mining activity to be permitted on public lands.
Burgum vowed to roll back regulations, opposes sustainable investing policies, and will cozy up to the oil and gas industry.
