Press Releases
Hearing Highlights: Doug Burgum Fuels Concern He’ll Put Oil & Gas Industry Profits Over America’s Public Lands, Taxpayers

Washington D.C. – During today’s U.S. Senate Energy & Natural Resources Committee confirmation hearing for Governor Doug Burgum (R-ND), the President-elect’s choice for Secretary of the Interior made no bones about his intent to put the interests of the big oil and gas industry ahead of protecting America’s public lands.
Today, Governor Burgum made it clear that he’ll execute Donald Trump’s misguided priority of putting oil industry profits ahead of consumers at the Interior Department. Burgum made no denial that his close relationship with big oil will lead to raw deals for America’s taxpayers and public lands– all to help fuel oil and gas profits.”
Accountable.US Executive Director Tony Carrk
Here Are Key Questions Burgum Failed to Address Today:
Cozy with Big Oil & Gas
How can Burgum be trusted to manage oil and gas leasing on public lands and waters after the Governor reportedly helped facilitate a closed-door meeting where Donald Trump promised favors to big oil CEOs if they gave him $1 billion?
- Doug Burgum “played an influential role” at a private Mar-A-Lago meeting where Donald Trump offered big oil executives policy favors if they donated $1 billion to his campaign. [Politico, 07/05/24]
Despite Burgum’s promise to divest from his business deals with Continental Resources and Hess, will he recuse from overseeing the federal oil and gas leasing program and other decisions that could benefit oil executives like his wealthy friend Harold Hamm?
- Though he’s promised to divest from this interest, Doug Burgum leases farm land to Continental Resources and Hess for oil and gas production, which paid Burgum as much as $51,000 in one year. [US Office of Government Ethics from 278e, 2023]
- Doug Burgum is a friend of Harold Hamm’s, the chairman of Continental Resources. [NBC, 05/21/24]
- Doug Burgum’s failed presidential campaign was largely funded by Hamm and other oil companies. [Politico, 07/05/24]
- An Accountable.US review of federal onshore oil and gas leases showed that Harold Hamm’s Continental Resources is one of the largest leaseholders on US public lands. [Accountable.US, 08/07/23]
During the Biden administration, oil and gas leasing reforms brought federal royalty rates in line with what states charge and finally forced companies to pay for the messes they leave behind on public lands when wells are abandoned. Recognizing how important these royalties are to taxpayers and rural communities, will Burgum commit to keeping them in place and holding oil companies that drill on public lands accountable for the messes they leave behind?
- The Biden administration promulgated a rule that modernized royalty rates and other fees companies pay to develop public minerals. [DOI, 04/12/24]
- The Biden administration’s rule also modernized bonding requirements on public oil and gas leases, finally making companies pay to clean the messes they sometimes leave behind on public lands. [DOI, 04/12/24]
- As governor, Doug Burgum has a record of working to reduce the value taxpayers get from mineral revenues. [Politico, 07/05/24]
During Burgum’s campaign to be president, he said that the Biden administration caused oil production in North Dakota production to go down. In reality, federal production went up 10 percent during the Biden administration and hit record highs. Why did he lie?
- During his failed campaign for president, Doug Burgum said that the Biden administration caused energy production to go down. [Politico, 07/05/24]
- In North Dakota and nationwide, energy production on public lands has been up under the Biden administration and set new records. [Politico, 07/05/24]
Selling Out Public Lands
In the first Trump administration, Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke undertook a massive “review” of Antiquities Act designations and tried to shrink popular national monuments. This move was illegal and hugely unpopular– does Burgum plan to repeat it?
- In the first Trump Administration, then-Secretary Ryan Zinke underwent a “review” of National Monument designations. [Washington Post, 12/05/17]
- That review resulted in the largest reduction of public land protections in US history. [CNN, 05/31/19]
- Legal scholars say that presidents do not have the authority to reduce or eliminate existing national monuments under the Antiquities Act. [Virginia Law Review, 06/09/17]
Burgum reportedly called Antiquities Act designations like the ones North Dakota tribes are seeking to designate Maah Daah Hey National Monument in North Dakota “land grabs.” This term is inaccurate– the land is already federal– and disregards tribes’ legitimate interest in wanting to protect this special place. Why did he lie, again?
- The Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikan Nation as well as conservation groups support using the Antiquities Act to protect Maah Daah Hey in North Dakota. [North Dakota Monitor, 12/17/24]
- The land in question is already federal– it would not change ownership or management. [North Dakota Monitor, 12/17/24]
- Doug Burgum told members of the North Dakota department of Mineral Resources in December 2024 that National Monuments are often “land grabs.” [North Dakota Monitor, 12/17/24]
Utah filed a hugely unpopular and bogus lawsuit asking the Supreme Court to cede federal public lands in the state based on a fringe theory that public lands shouldn’t exist shared by extremists like Cliven Bundy. Why did North Dakota sign an amicus brief supporting that lawsuit?
- Utah filed a lawsuit in Fall of 2024 asking the Supreme Court to cede federal public land to the state. [NPR, 10/03/24]
- The lawsuit is “testing a fringe theory” and seeking to overturn long-established legal precedents. [NPR, 10/03/24]
- The lawsuit was rejected by the Supreme Court in January 2025. [Salt Lake Tribune, 01/13/25]
- Utah’s lawsuit is based on a theory that the federal government lacks constitutional authority to control public land. [Salt Lake Tribune, 12/02/24]
- The argument echoes false legal claims made by people like Cliven and Ammon Bundy who led armed occupations protesting the federal ownership of public lands. Those arguments were without merit. [E&E News, 01/20/16]
- Under Doug Burgum’s leadership, North Dakota participated an amicus brief supporting Utah’s lawsuit. [North Dakota Monitor, 10/28/24]
Politicizing Natural Disasters
Just months ago, North Dakota benefitted from disaster relief as it dealt with severe wildfires. No one politicized this disaster or blamed Burgum. Does Burgum believe it’s productive for Donald Trump to attack the Governor of California as his state deals with the tragedy of historic wildfires, and will Burgum resist any effort from Trump to cut firefighting programs at Interior as he has done in the past?
- In October 2024, Doug Burgum requested and accepted federal emergency relief for fighting some of the worst wildfires in the state’s history. [Associated Press, 10/19/24]
- As California is facing devastating wildfires, President-elect Trump is using the tragedy as an excuse to attack California governor Gavin Newsom. [New York Times, 01/08/25]
- During the first Trump administration, Trump’s budget requests included major cuts to firefighting programs, including at Interior. [International Fire Chiefs Association, 02/16/18]
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