President-elect Donald Trump has selected North Dakota Republican Gov. Doug Burgum and Chris Wright, the CEO of Liberty Energy, as his nominees to lead the Department of the Interior and Department of Energy (DOE), respectively. Though other staff picks have been head-scratchers, the selection of Wright and Burgum signals a possible return to energy realism in the federal government.
Assuming they're confirmed to head these agencies, Wright and Burgum will serve on the National Energy Council (to be chaired by Burgum), which will work with federal agencies to streamline permitting, reduce regulations, and get out of the way of private sector energy innovation. As head energy advisers, it will also be their job to direct Trump away from using state power to prop up favored industries or attack technologies he doesn't like.
