WASHINGTON — Two key cabinet nominations were confirmed this past week, including the appointment of Doug Burgum as secretary of the US Department of the Interior and Lee Zeldin as administrator of the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Burgum, former North Dakota governor, was confirmed as the 55th secretary of the Interior on Jan. 30 by a vote of 79 to 18.

Burgum served in the private sector for the entirety of his professional career before being elected as governor of North Dakota in 2016. He has served in that role for the past eight years.

“My time as governor has been valuable preparation for the role of secretary of the Interior, as our state and my duties put me in contact with many of the bureaus inside the department,” Burgum said.

In a joint statement, the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) and Public Lands Council (PLC) congratulated Burgum.

“Secretary Burgum has a proven record of supporting rural communities and promoting a balanced approach to energy development and conservation,” said Kaitlynn Glover, executive director of PLC and NCBA Natural Resources. “His leadership will be critical for ensuring that ranchers and public lands grazing permittees are recognized as a valuable partner in stewarding Western landscapes and for removing regulatory burdens that have plagued management of grazing allotments for decades. We look forward to working with Secretary Burgum to protect the livelihoods of ranchers who rely on public lands, safeguard the health of these ecosystems, and promote policies that benefit rural communities and the entire nation.”

A day before Burgum’s confirmation hearing, Zeldin was sworn in as the 17th administrator of the EPA.

“Under President Trump’s leadership, we will take great strides to defend every American’s access to clean air, clean water and clean land,” Zeldin said. “We will maintain and expand the gold standard of environmental stewardship and conservation that President Trump set forth in his first administration while also prioritizing economic prosperity.”

Zeldin represented New York’s First Congressional District from 2015 to 2023. At the age of 23, he became the youngest attorney in New York at the time. Zeldin served active duty in the US Army for four years. Today, he continues his service as a Lieutenant Colonel in the US Army Reserve, marking over two decades of military service.

During his eight years in Congress, Zeldin worked across party lines to preserve the Long Island Sound and Plum Island. He supported legislation like the Great American Outdoors Act and Save our Seas Act clear plastic from the ocean. He also spearheaded the initiative for the Sea Grant, combated per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in drinking water, voted for the Lautenberg Chemical Safety Act, and supported clean energy projects on Long Island.

“For too long, the EPA has stood for ‘Ending Production Agriculture,’” said Ethan Lane, NCBA vice president of government affairs. “Under Administrator Zeldin, we look forward to an EPA that acknowledges the conservation efforts that are only made possible by cattle farmers and ranchers — America’s original conservationists.”