Washington D.C. – In the dead of night, the Senate is expected to vote, and likely confirm, Governor Doug Burgum (R-ND) as President Trump’s Secretary of the Interior on top of receiving an unusual seat on the administration’s powerful National Security Council, setting into motion the President’s agenda of serving big oil and gas industry interests over the interests of America’s public lands and taxpayers. 

“Donald Trump chose Doug Burgum to be his Interior Security precisely because he’s so cozy with the oil and gas industry that made record high donations to the Trump campaign. Giving the industry first class access and influence with the Trump administration can only lead to one thing: insider deals with big oil at the expense of America’s taxpayers and public lands– all to help fuel oil and gas profits,” said Accountable.US Executive Director Tony Carrk.

BACKGROUND: Burgum In Bed With Big Oil & Gas

  • Burgum allegedly “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]
  • 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]
  • Burgum has yet to recuse himself from overseeing the federal oil and gas leasing program and other decisions that could benefit oil executives like his wealthy friend Harold Hamm, 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]

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