Doug Burgum, Trump’s pick for public lands boss, questions reliability of renewable power

President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for interior secretary told a Senate panel Thursday that the U.S. can leverage development of fossil fuels and other energy sources to promote world peace and lower costs. Former North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum voiced concerns about incentives for renewable energy under the Biden administration during the the hearing. Democratic lawmakers challenged the Republican’s claims about national security and raised concerns about fossil fuels that are driving global warming. The Interior Department oversees a half-billion acres of federal land and vast areas offshore. Those areas produce about one-quarter of U.S. oil annually.