President-elect Donald Trump’s plan to create a new energy council to drive his U.S. “energy dominance” policies is getting caught in a bureaucratic turf war among White House offices and infighting over its leadership, according to people familiar with discussions.
The National Energy Council, which Trump first announced in November and said would be led by his nominee for Interior secretary, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, is designed to coordinate energy policy and regulations across the federal government. But even though it has yet to be rolled out, it is facing questions over its structcure, staffing and how prominent a role it would play in crafting policy.
Even the planned council’s name is changing to avoid confusion with the National Economic Council, a mainstay within the Executive Office of the President, according to one industry executive familiar with the discussions. The body is expected to be rechristened as the National Energy Dominance Council, said this person, who along with three others, was granted anonymity to discuss the private conversations around the project.
The industry executive said for now it appears the new council will be run on an “ad hoc” basis with little dedicated staff. And, ultimately, it will report to Stephen Miller, the incoming White House deputy chief of staff for policy, the person said. Others cautioned the form and and reporting structure is in flux.
Two of the people said fights over the council’s budget and staffing have flared, with tensions rising over whether the new council will be the sole adviser for energy policy in the White House or if the National Security Council and National Economic Council will hold some responsibilities, as they have in previous administrations.
Few details about the council are public beyond Trump tapping Burgum as chair in addition to his cabinet position, if the Senate confirms him to that role.
But three people granted anonymity to discuss the evolving discussions said that Chris Wright, the CEO of fracking company Liberty Energy who was tapped to head the Energy Department, has since emerged as a possible co-chair. One of the people familiar with those conversations said that development could run afoul of Burgum, who Trump promised to make leader of the council.
“We’ve heard that Wright wants an equal role to Burgum and there’s resistance,” one of the people familiar with the discussions said.
Wright, whose company has been at the forefront of helping oil companies tap into the vast shale deposits that have made the U.S. the world’s leading oil and gas producer, is seen as being more aligned in his thinking with the oil executives who gave millions of dollars to Trump’s election campaign. The CEO has denied that climate change is a crisis requiring government intervention, instead saying that it is the United States’ responsibility to export more fossil fuel to alleviate poverty.
“There are conversations going on whether he would be better suited than Burgum,” said a third industry executive who was in talks with the Trump transition team. “Some hardliners want more of a true believer in that role.”
Burgum, who earned a fortune in tech sector, has been an advocate for U.S. oil since becoming governor of the country’s third largest oil producing state. But he also set a target for the state to become carbon neutral by 2030.
Spokespeople for the Trump transition team and Burgum did not respond to questions. Wright did not respond to an email or text message.