North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum is Donald Trump's choice to be the next Interior Secretary, the President-elect announced at an America First Policy Institute event Thursday evening.
Burgum, who mounted a short-lived presidential campaign during this election cycle, is in his second term as governor of North Dakota, the nation's third-largest oil-producing state.
After dropping out of the race in December, Burgum became a prominent Trump advocate, touting the former president's friendly stance towards oil drilling.
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The formal announcement is set to come Friday, Trump said in his speech.
"He's going to head the Department of Interior and he's going to be fantastic," Trump said at the event.
The Interior Department oversees interactions with Native American tribes, works on wildlife and federal lands issues, and oversees the operation of dams across the west. Burgum would oversee the Bureau of Land Management, the Bureau of Reclamation, the Fish and Wildlife Service, the United States Geological Survey, the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the National Park Service.
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