January 27, 2025

United States Senate
Washington, DC

Re: Nomination of Governor Doug Burgum for Secretary of the Interior

Dear Senators,

On behalf of our millions of members and supporters, we write to express our opposition to Governor Doug Burgum’s nomination for Secretary of the Interior. Once again, the Trump administration has handpicked a nominee who will put industry interests over those of the American people. From opening more public lands for extraction to attacking countless protections of lands, water, and wildlife, it’s clear that President Trump is committed to expanding fossil fuels and catering to industry at the expense of our climate, public lands and waters, and wildlife. As the head of the Interior Department and leading the newly-formed National Energy Council, Doug Burgum will be charged with carrying out this unpopular and dangerous agenda.

Gov. Burgum is a wealthy businessman with substantial oil and gas industry ties. He is reportedly worth “at least $100 million,” with some of that wealth coming from a land deal with energy giant Continental Resources. That deal came under scrutiny from government ethics experts while Burgum was governor.  His loyalty to President Trump’s fossil fuel agenda and desire to expand risky drilling, oxymoronic “clean coal,” and toxic hardrock mining, which would give fossil fuel and extractive development an outsized role on our public lands and waters. As he said repeatedly in his Senate hearing, Gov. Burgum sees our public lands and waters as merely America’s “balance sheet,” which should be available to be drilled, logged, mined, and sold off to the highest bidder.

The American people treasure our public lands and waters. The Secretary of the Interior is responsible for stewarding our public lands and waters for their many uses – recreation, renewable energy development, wildlife conservation, and preservation of natural and cultural resources – not exploiting them. Instead, he has committed to following President Trump’s lead to the detriment of communities, our natural resources, and our climate. 

For these reasons, we ask that you vote no on Governor Doug Burgum’s nomination as Secretary of the Interior.

Thank you,

Accountable.US
Alaska Wilderness League
California Environmental Voters
Center for Biological Diversity
Clean Water Action
Climate Hawks Vote
Dayenu: A Jewish Call to Climate Action
Defenders of Wildlife
Earthjustice
Earthworks
Evergreen Action
Greenpeace USA
Healthy Ocean Coalition
Hip Hop Caucus
Kettle Range Conservation Group
League of Conservation Voters
Los Padres ForestWatch
Mountain Mamas
Nevada Conservation League
Ocean Conservation Research
Oil Change International
Oregon Wild
Plastic Pollution Coalition
Save Animals Facing Extinction
Seeding Sovereignty
Sierra Club
Soda Mountain Wilderness Council
Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance
The Conservation Angler
The Ocean Project
Turtle Island Restoration Network
Washington Wild
Wild Hope
Wyoming Wildlife Advocates