WATCH: Burgum says federal rules are weaponized ‘to block our nation’s progress’

Doug Burgum, nominee for secretary of the interior, said Thursday at his confirmation hearing held by the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee that some federal rules, such as the Endangered Species Act, are being inappropriately applied.

Burgum thanked Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., for raising the issue of “the weaponization of federal rules meant to actually protect wildlife.” In some cases, he argued, the use is “not to protect wildlife…. It's just a legal weapon and it's used for fundraising, it's used for groups that are just trying to block our nation's progress.”

Cotton pointed to recent reporting in The New York Times about a small fish that was declared endangered in the 1970s, a move that halted work on a Tennessee dam. A group of researchers this month questioned whether the fish is actually a unique species, or if it’s the same species as a much more common fish.

Burgum is a former corporate executive and governor of North Dakota who championed oil and gas drilling. President-elect Donald Trump has also tapped him to lead the new National Energy Council.

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