Secretary Doug Burgum Signs Six Ministerial Orders
Orders Development of Domestic Energy Resources and Deregulation
The Department of the Interior announced that Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum signed six ministerial orders on the 3rd (local time) after taking office to fulfill President Donald Trump's pledge to make the United States dominant in the energy sector. The photo shows Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum signing the orders. Photo by U.S. Department of the Interior
The U.S. Department of the Interior, which manages the country's natural resources and public lands, has abandoned the previous Biden administration's policies focused on environmental conservation and has begun expanding fossil fuel production such as oil and gas.
The Department of the Interior announced that Secretary Doug Burgum signed six ministerial orders on the 3rd (local time) after taking office to fulfill President Donald Trump's pledge to make the United States dominant in the energy sector.
Among them, Secretary Burgum ordered the Department of the Interior to review the validity of all expenditures based on the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and the Infrastructure Act. These two laws, enacted under the previous Biden administration, contain various policies aimed at addressing climate change and expanding U.S. infrastructure, promoting clean energy rather than fossil fuels favored by President Trump.
President Trump had instructed all government departments to immediately halt spending of funds allocated under the IRA and Infrastructure Act in the "American Energy Liberation" executive order signed on the 20th of last month, and since then, relevant reviews have begun in each department.
Secretary Burgum directed the Department of the Interior to identify all legal authorities it can exercise to facilitate the development, production, refining, and distribution of domestic energy resources and critical minerals, and to ease unnecessary regulations.
He also instructed to encourage energy exploration and production on federal lands and waters, including the outer continental shelf, and to take all necessary measures to develop natural resources in the state of Alaska.
The Department of the Interior stated that Secretary Burgum ordered not only a review of policies burdensome to energy development but also a review of domestic mining and processing of non-fuel minerals to restore U.S. dominance in critical minerals. Secretary Burgum also serves as the "Energy Czar," coordinating policies among government departments to expand U.S. oil, coal, and gas production and ease related regulations.
Meanwhile, on the same day, the U.S. Senate approved the confirmation of Chris Wright as Secretary of Energy with 59 votes in favor and 38 against, according to Reuters. Wright, CEO of a shale gas company, stated at the confirmation hearing on the 15th of last month that "expanding the supply of affordable, reliable, and safe American energy" is the most important, emphasizing the need to expand energy production including commercial nuclear power and liquefied natural gas (LNG) and to lower energy costs for Americans.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
