North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum, in addition to heading the Secretary of the Interior, will be the head of the National Energy Council. Karoline Leavitt, campaign adviser and transition spokesperson, will be White House press secretary.
US President-elect Donald Trump announced Friday that North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum will lead the Department of the Interior and also head a newly created National Energy Council, seeking to establish “energy dominance.” all over the world.
In his new role, Burgum will oversee a panel that spans all executive branch agencies involved in energy permitting, production, generation, distribution, regulation and transportation, Trump said in a statement.
Because he will be chairman of the National Energy Council, Burgum will have a seat on the National Security Council, Trump said.
“This Council will oversee the path to American energy dominance by reducing bureaucracy, boosting private sector investment in all sectors of the economy, and focusing on innovation over long-standing but totally unnecessary regulations,” Trump wrote.
His energy dominance policy, which he also championed during his first term, will allow the United States to sell oil, gas and other forms of energy to European allies, making the world safer, Trump said.
Trump's policies, if adopted, would represent an almost complete change from the actions implemented by Democratic President Joe Biden, who has made the fight against climate change a top priority and has called for more electric vehicles and stricter regulation of carbon pollution produced by coal-fired power plants.
Trump has vowed to rescind unspent funds in Biden's landmark climate and health bill and halt near-shore wind energy development when he returns to the White House in January.
Burgum has adopted a pro-business style in his role as governor of a state where agriculture and oil are the main industries. He has pushed for income tax cuts, reduced regulations, and changes to animal agriculture laws and higher education governance.
Industry groups welcomed Burgum into the new administration, saying Trump's creation of an energy council was a sign of a renewed emphasis on spurring domestic production and streamlining regulations.
More designations
Trump also announced that Steven Cheung will be his White House communications director and Sergio Gor will lead the personnel office. Both have been his advisors for some time.
Karoline Leavitt, a campaign adviser and transition spokesperson, will be his White House press secretary, putting a feisty 27-year-old woman in a position to aggressively defend him.
“I have the utmost confidence that she will excel at the podium and help us deliver our message to the American people to Make America Great Again,” Trump said in a statement.
Leavitt has endeared herself to Trump for her ardent defense of him in interviews and her fiercely determined style, Trump aides said.
(With information from Reuters and AP)