President-elect Donald Trump announced Friday that Gov. Doug Burgum (R-ND), who he selected to lead the Department of the Interior, will also chair a newly formed National Energy Council.
According to a statement by the Trump administration, the National Energy Council will consist of agencies and departments across the government involved in energy permitting, production, generation, distribution, regulation, and transportation.
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“This Council will oversee the path to U.S. ENERGY DOMINANCE by cutting red tape, enhancing private sector investments across all sectors of the Economy, and by focusing on INNOVATION over longstanding, but totally unnecessary, regulation,” the statement reads.
The new council will also focus on winning the “arms race” with China over artificial intelligence, it stated. Trump added that Burgum would also serve on the National Security Council. Rising electricity demand from data centers used for AI has placed new strains on power grids in recent months. That, in turn, has led to a revival of interest in nuclear power.
Burgum said on X that he is “deeply grateful to President @RealDonaldTrump for this amazing opportunity to serve the American people and achieve ENERGY DOMINANCE!”
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Trump said Thursday that Burgum would be nominated to serve as secretary of the Department of the Interior. In that role, he would ensure the Trump administration can increase oil production on public lands.
“As Secretary of the Interior, Doug will be a key leader in ushering in a new ‘Golden Age of American Prosperity’ and World Peace,” the statement reads.
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It added, “We will ‘DRILL BABY DRILL,’ expand ALL forms of Energy production to grow our Economy, and create good-paying jobs. By smartly utilizing our amazing National Assets, we will preserve and protect our most beautiful places, AND reduce our deficits and our debt!”
Many energy projects, including both fossil fuels and renewable forms of energy, have been slow to break ground because of onerous permitting requirements. Many Democrats have sought to lessen federal requirements in order to facilitate the buildout of clean energy envisioned by the Biden administration. Republicans, meanwhile, want to make it easier to build pipelines and other infrastructure to support oil and gas production. Sens. Joe Manchin (I-WV) and John Barrasso (R-WY) earlier this year introduced a major permitting reform bill. Politico reported Friday that Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer told Manchin he was open to moving the bill during the lame-duck period.
Early in the 2024 GOP presidential primary, Burgum attempted to challenge Trump, but he dropped out of the race in December. At one point, he was rumored to be on Trump’s vice-president short-list.
