President Donald Trump‘s three picks to head up 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 committee met Thursday morning for a swift 18-2 vote on the nomination of former North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum for secretary of interior. The committee then voted 15-5 in favor of businessman Chris Wright for secretary of energy.
Also on 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 Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly the only Democrat to vote in favor.
Full Senate floor votes for the three nominees have not yet been scheduled, though 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 has vowed to support the Trump administration’s goal of increasing oil and natural gas production within the U.S., 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 told the Senate committee.
“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 has vowed to maximize drilling on federal lands, drawing on more resources like natural gas and coal. Until Trump, the Republican has indicated that he won’t cast aside renewable energy sources like wind, admitting that it can be a great resource in some states.
However, during the hearing, Burgum insisted there needs to be a “right balance,” accusing the previous administration of leaning too far in favor of renewables over traditional sources like fossil fuels.
The former governor has also been 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,” Zeldin 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) noted 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.