Burgum Draws Senators’ Ire Over Park Staffing, ‘Vanity’ Projects

Interior Secretary Doug Burgum argued for the “continued beautification” of the agency’s “assets” and selling “energy to our allies” in a hearing before Senate lawmakers Wednesday, while also saying federal environmental laws must be reined in to promote development on federal lands.

Burgum said during the Senate Appropriations subcommittee hearing the National Environmental Policy Act and Endangered Species Act have been “weapons used to stop development in America.”

Promoting fossil fuels is central to the Trump administration’s agenda, including exempting oil companies operating in the Gulf of Mexico from the ESA.

The department’s budget proposal for fiscal 2027 would give ...