
Former North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum promised to maximize drilling on federal lands at his confirmation hearing for interior secretary Thursday, calling the incoming administration’s goal of “energy dominance” the surest way to guarantee America’s national security. “When energy production is restricted in America, it doesn’t reduce demand, it just shifts production to countries like Russia, Venezuela, and Iran, whose autocratic leaders don’t care about the environment,” Burgum said in his opening statement. “In our time, President Trump’s energy dominance can be America’s ‘big stick’ that is leveraged to achieve...