Trump's nominee for Interior supports drilling on federal land

Doug Burgum, the nominee for Secretary of Interior by Donald Trump, will tell Congress during his nomination hearing Thursday that he is committed to maximizing energy production on America's public land and waters. He will call this a key element of national security.

The comments are a sign of a policy shift that is about to occur. President Joe Biden tried for years to limit oil and gas drilling in federal waters by reducing federal auctions and prohibiting future development. This was part of his strategy to combat climate change.

"Today, America is producing energy cleaner, safer and smarter than anywhere else in the world." Burgum, in his prepared remarks, will explain that restricting energy production in America does not reduce demand. Instead, it shifts production overseas to countries such as Russia, Venezuela and Iran, whose autocratic politicians don't care much about the environment.

He will say that maximizing energy production can lower consumer costs, while also ensuring clean water and air.

Interior Department leases parcels of land and waters offshore from the Arctic up to the Gulf of Mexico. These operations produce about a quarter of America's oil and natural gas.

Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, improved technology has led to an increase in global demand.

Burgum is being considered for the position of head of a national energy council, which will coordinate policies to increase U.S. production after Trump's inauguration on January 20.

According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, North Dakota is ranked third in the United States for crude oil reserves and production after Texas and New Mexico. (Reporting and editing by Richard Valdmanis.

(source: Reuters)