The US Senate on Thursday (Jan 30) confirmed Donald Trump's pick to lead the Interior Department, a role that oversees the nation's vast public lands and waters that are vital to the president's agenda of expanding drilling.

The Senate has voted 79-18 to confirm former North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum to serve as Interior Secretary in President Donald Trump's administration.

President Donald Trump tapped Burgum, a billionaire software industry entrepreneur, to spearhead the administration’s ambitions to boost fossil fuel production.

The US Senate on Thursday confirmed Donald Trump's pick to lead the Interior Department, a role that oversees the nation's vast public lands and waters that are vital to the

Emails obtained by The Associated Press reveal Doug Burgum as North Dakota governor catered to the whims of oil and gas executives while leveraging those connections to expand his political profile

The North Dakota governor will oversee agencies that administer policy on Native American affairs, national parks and energy leases.

Doug Burgum, a billionaire software industry entrepreneur, was confirmed as President Donald Trump’s new interior secretary on Thursday. Burgum abandoned his presidential campaign and quickly endorsed Trump in 2023. Trump has directed Burgum to tap into fossil fuel resources in the US, including from public lands.

The U.S. Senate on Thursday confirmed Doug Burgum, the former governor of North Dakota, as President Donald Trump's interior secretary. The vote was 79 to 18. Burgum, 68, will lead an agency that guides the use of 500 million acres (202 million hectares) of federal and tribal land,

Doug Burgum will be the point person for public land management and President Trump’s “drill, baby, drill" agenda to expand oil and gas development.

It came hours after he announced he was immediately appointing Christopher Rocheleau, a 22-year veteran of the agency, in the wake of the deadly plane crash in Washington. "He's a very capable guy," Trump said of Rocheleau as he signed the order.

Emails obtained by The Associated Press reveal Doug Burgum as North Dakota governor catered to the whims of oil and gas executives while leveraging those connections to expand his political profile.

The former North Dakota governor will play a key role in carrying out President Donald Trump’s pro-fossil-fuel, anti-renewable-energy vision.