Congress: Investigate Doug Burgum’s Interior Department

The Trump administration is putting America’s public lands and climate at risk — and now disturbing reports suggest the agency in charge may be mired in chaos, secrecy, and mismanagement.

The Department of the Interior oversees hundreds of millions of acres of America’s public lands, waters, and natural resources. Its decisions can determine whether these places are protected for future generations — or handed over to oil and gas companies.

But a disturbing E&E News investigation paints a picture of an Interior Department plagued by turmoil under Secretary Doug Burgum.

Interior has reportedly lost nearly 14% of its workforce, while numerous senior officials have departed. Current and former employees also described the use of disappearing Signal messages and the shredding of documents — raising serious questions about whether important government records are being properly preserved.

And those concerns don’t stop with recordkeeping. The E&E News investigation also describes an agency where major decisions are reportedly concentrated among a small circle of political appointees, while career staff are sometimes left out of the process. Combined with the loss of experienced employees and turnover among senior officials, that raises even broader questions about whether Interior is being run with the transparency, expertise, and accountability the public deserves.

Interior disputes the investigation’s characterization of the department.

And all of this is happening while Burgum and the Trump administration push an aggressive “energy dominance” agenda that prioritizes more drilling and fossil fuel extraction on public lands while creating roadblocks for renewable energy projects.

That should alarm anyone who cares about our climate, public lands, wildlife, clean air, or accountable government.

The Interior Department makes decisions with consequences that can last for generations. Americans deserve to know whether those decisions are being made transparently, legally, and in the public interest, especially when extractive industries and climate deniers stand to benefit.

Congress has the power to demand answers and must use it here. 

Sign the petition to tell Congress to investigate Doug Burgum’s management of the Interior Department.

The petition to Congress reads: Hold public oversight hearings and investigate Secretary Doug Burgum’s management of the Interior Department, including its records practices, staffing losses, treatment of renewable energy, and expansion of fossil fuel development. Demand transparency and protect our public lands and climate from reckless fossil fuel exploitation.
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Source:

https://www.eenews.net/articles/inside-doug-burgums-rocky-tenure-at-interior/