President Donald Trump‘s three picks to head his energy dominance and “drill, baby, drill” agenda are one step closer to leading their departments as two Senate committees voted to send their nominations to the floor of the upper chamber.
The Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources met Thursday morning for a swift 18-2 vote on the nomination of former Gov. Doug Burgum (R-ND) for secretary of the interior. The committee then voted 15-5 in favor of businessman Chris Wright for energy secretary.
Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-NM), the top Democrat on the panel, voted in favor of both nominees, noting that, while he disagreed with Burgum and Wright on a number of matters, he believed them to be “well qualified for the positions.”
Prior to the vote, Heinrich made a point to highlight Wright’s previous claim that climate change “does not pose an existential threat to humanity.”
“I hope Mr. Wright will come to see that climate change is a clear, pressing, and urgent matter and that our energy transition will be the key to addressing it,” he said.
Sen. John Hickenlooper (D-CO), who also voted for Burgum and Wright, told reporters after the committee meeting that he was confident Wright would ensure that Department of Energy funds appropriated through the Democrat-passed Inflation Reduction Act would still be spent despite Trump’s efforts to withhold discretionary funding.
Hickenlooper said he asked Wright if he would commit to ensuring the funds are spent the way they are intended, to which the nominee told the senator, “Absolutely yes.”
“I’m not aware of him saying something that was untrue,” Hickenlooper said. “He’s not just — just not a disingenuous person. What you see is what you get.”
Also Thursday, the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works moved to send EPA administrator nominee Lee Zeldin to the chamber floor in a brief 11-8 vote, with Sen. Mark Kelly (AZ) the only Democrat to vote in favor.
Full Senate floor votes for the three nominees have not been scheduled, but they will likely take place within a week to 10 days.
The two committees voted more than a week after the three Republicans appeared before the Energy and EPW committees in relatively drama-free hearings to consider their nominations.
Burgum vowed to support the Trump administration’s goal of increasing oil and natural gas production within the United States, saying securing energy dominance at home will, in tandem, increase national security.
“When energy production is restricted in America, it doesn’t reduce demand; it just shifts production to countries like Russia, Venezuela, and Iran, whose autocratic leaders don’t care about the environment,” Burgum said.
“In our time, President Trump’s energy dominance can be America’s ‘big stick’ that is leveraged to achieve historic prosperity and world peace,” he added. “The Department of the Interior, in cooperation with U.S. Congress, this committee, and the states, will play a pivotal role in achieving the outcomes to make the world safer and America even better for our children, grandchildren, and generations to come.”
Burgum vowed to maximize drilling on federal lands, drawing on more resources such as natural gas and coal. Until Trump, the Republican indicated that he wouldn’t cast aside renewable energy sources such as wind, admitting that it could be a great resource in some states.
However, during the hearing, Burgum insisted that there needs to be a “right balance,” accusing the previous administration of leaning too far in favor of renewables over traditional sources such as fossil fuels.
The former governor was tapped to serve as Trump’s “energy czar,” leading the new National Energy Council.
Burgum was the governor of North Dakota from 2016 to 2024. During his tenure, the Republican promoted oil and gas development while also promising to reduce the state’s net carbon emissions.
Early in the 2024 Republican presidential primary, Burgum attempted to challenge Trump for the candidacy. However, he swiftly dropped his bid and was later floated as a contender for vice president.
Zeldin, a former Republican congressman from New York, is also expected to pursue Trump’s regulatory agenda while leading the EPA.
During his confirmation hearing last week, Zeldin told the EPW committee that the agency “must be better stewards of tax dollars, honor cooperative federalism, and be transparent and accountable to the Congress and the public.”
“We can, and we must protect our precious environment without suffocating the economy,” he added. “A big part of this will require building private sector collaboration to promote common sense, smart regulation that will allow American innovation to continue to lead the world.”
Zeldin will likely reverse a number of Biden administration climate policies and rules implemented by the EPA, including the agency’s power plant pollution rule that went into effect last July. The rule targets carbon pollution from power plants to limit greenhouse gas emissions, ordering operating coal plants and new natural gas-fired plants to reduce emissions by 90% by 2032 through the use of carbon capture and storage technologies.
Wright is the founder and CEO of Liberty Energy, an oilfield services firm. He will also serve on the incoming administration’s newly formed National Energy Council, which will consist of all departments and agencies involving domestic energy.
He has been met with opposition from environmentalists, who have accused him of rejecting science related to climate change.
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In last week’s hearing, Sen. Alex Padilla (D-CA) cited a comment from Wright on social media last year that said, “The hype over wildfires is just hype to justify more impoverishment for bad government policies.”
Padilla asked Wright whether he stood by that statement in light of the Los Angeles wildfires, which have destroyed more than 12,000 structures and killed at least 24 people. Wright expressed sympathy for the victims of the disaster but stood by his comments.
Padilla voted against Wright on Thursday, saying his comments on wildfires “made it impossible to support him.”
