Trump's point man for drilling agenda confirmed by Senate

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 president's agenda of expanding drilling.

Former North Dakota governor and 2024 presidential candidate Doug Burgum was confirmed in a 79-18 vote, with the majority of Democrats joining their Republican colleagues.

Trump has also tapped Burgum to lead a newly created National Energy Council, a role which does not require Senate confirmation.

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Unlike Trump, who has derided human-caused climate change as a hoax, Burgum accepts it is a scientific reality, and led ambitious plans to make North Dakota carbon-neutral as governor.

But he also has close ties to the fossil fuel industry -- leasing his own farm land for oil and gas production, according to his financial disclosure forms.

He also reportedly played a key role in setting up an infamous meeting between Trump and oil executives last April when then-candidate Trump was said by media to have asked them to raise $1 billion in exchange for loosening regulations.

Industry groups reacted to the confirmation with delight.

"We look forward to working with him to implement a pro-American energy approach to federal leasing, starting with removing barriers to development on federal lands and waters and developing a new five-year offshore program," said the American Petroleum Institute's Mike Sommers.

The confirmation comes amid sweeping moves by Trump to reshape US environmental policy.

On his first day in office, Trump announced he was removing the United States from the Paris climate accord for a second time, declared a "national energy emergency" to expand drilling, and signed executive orders to slow the transition to electric vehicles and halt offshore wind farms.