The land in Utah owned by the federal government — about two-thirds of the state — is now under new management. The U.S. Senate on Thursday confirmed former North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum as Secretary of the Interior by a vote of 79 to 18.

Doug Burgum, a billionaire software industry entrepreneur, was confirmed as President Donald Trump’s new interior secretary on Thursday. Burgum abandoned his presidential campaign and quickly endorsed Trump in 2023. Trump has directed Burgum to tap into fossil fuel resources in the US, including from public lands.

President Donald Trump has begun his second administration with a series of controversial moves and decisions.

The North Dakota governor will oversee agencies that administer policy on Native American affairs, national parks and energy leases.

President Trump’s nominees for key positions have a history of pushing back against the work of the departments and agencies they’ve been chosen to lead.

Former North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum was confirmed Thursday by the US Senate to lead the Department of the Interior (DoI) under President Donald Trump’s second reign in the White House. Burgum, who hails from a state rich with oil and gas, won broad bipartisan approval for the DoI secretary gig by a 79-18 vote.

Emails obtained by the Associated Press reveal Doug Burgum as North Dakota governor aided oil and gas executives and leveraged connections to boost his profile.

Doug Burgum will be the point person for public land management and President Trump’s “drill, baby, drill" agenda to expand oil and gas development.

The Senate confirmed Doug Burgum as interior secretary late Thursday after President Donald Trump tapped the North Dakota billionaire to spearhead the Republican administration’s ambitions to boost fossil fuel production.

The Senate has voted 79-18 to confirm former North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum to serve as Interior Secretary in President Donald Trump's administration.

The U.S. Senate on Thursday confirmed Doug Burgum, the former governor of North Dakota, as President Donald Trump's interior secretary. The vote was 79 to 18. Burgum, 68, will lead an agency that guides the use of 500 million acres (202 million hectares) of federal and tribal land,