Burgum and Wright figure will be at the forefront of Trump’s ‘energy dominance’ agenda

The Senate voted Thursday evening to confirm former North Dakota governor Doug Burgum (R.) to lead the Interior Department and, in a subsequent vote, teed up a floor vote to consider the nomination of fracking executive Chris Wright as energy secretary.

Burgum’s confirmation was approved in a bipartisan 79-18 vote. The vote to advance Wright’s nomination to a floor vote passed in a 62-35 vote. Sen. Martin Heinrich (D., N.M.), the ranking member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee and a noted climate hawk, voted alongside Republicans despite his ideological differences with the two nominees.

The back-to-back votes represent significant milestones for President Donald Trump’s “energy dominance” and “drill, baby, drill” agenda. Trump has vowed to pursue an all-of-the-above energy strategy that encourages increased oil and gas production, rolls back environmental regulations, and treats energy policy as a matter of national security.

Burgum and Wright figure to play a prominent role in implementing Trump’s plans. In an executive order issued last week, Trump gave seats on the high-powered White House National Security Council to both the interior secretary and energy secretary. He has also announced plans for Burgum to lead a new White House National Energy Council to coordinate interagency policymaking.

And the two nominees vowed in their testimonies before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee earlier this month to use their positions to unleash energy dominance, remove barriers to energy development, and leverage energy resources to bolster economic prosperity.

“The American people clearly placed their confidence in President Trump to achieve Energy Dominance. Energy Dominance is the foundation of historic American prosperity, affordability for American families, and unrivaled national security,” Burgum stated. “President Trump’s Energy Dominance can be America’s ‘big stick’ that is leveraged to achieve historic prosperity and world peace.”

“The security of our nation begins with energy,” added Wright. “Previous administrations have viewed energy as a liability instead of the immense national asset that it is. To compete globally, we must expand energy production, including commercial nuclear and liquified natural gas, and cut the cost of energy.”

The votes Thursday come on the heels of the Senate’s confirmation of former representative Lee Zeldin (R., N.Y.) to lead the Environmental Protection Agency. Zeldin will also play a significant role in implementing Trump’s aggressive energy agenda. “Under President Trump’s leadership, we will take great strides to defend every American’s access to clean air, clean water, and clean land,” Zeldin said.

Burgum is the eighth Trump appointee to clear Senate confirmation. He most recently served as governor of North Dakota, a top energy-producing state, and ran for president last year before dropping out and endorsing Trump.

If confirmed, Wright, whose confirmation vote is expected next week, would be the ninth appointee confirmed. Wright is the CEO of Liberty Energy, a massive natural gas producer.