Energy industry executives clamored to nab meetings with Interior Secretary Doug Burgum in the early days of the second Trump administration.
Internal department records released recently offer a behind-the-scenes look at how industry officials vied for those coveted confabs as they sought to sway the administration’s energy policy.
Those records, released to the Sierra Club after the green group sued the department, reveal which companies were angling for sit-downs for their bosses. They also offer details about their pitches as they tried to win time on the secretary’s crowded schedule in his early days in office.
Industry representatives’ strategies included tying their work to President Donald Trump’s “energy dominance” mission and elevating their requests through hired lobbying firms with ties to the Trump team. It’s unclear from the records which of the requested meetings ultimately took place.
