NEW: Emails Expose How Doug Burgum’s Interior Department Hand-Delivered Drilling Permits to Big Oil Donor

HELENA, MT – New reporting from Public Domain and Fieldnotes revealed emails showing billionaire CEO Harold Hamm’s Continental Resources provided Doug Burgum’s Interior Department a literal “roadmap” for skirting a federal court injunction to unlock drilling permits in Wyoming. Shortly after Burgum met privately with Hamm at an Oklahoma City hotel, where Burgum announced plans to open more federal lands to drilling, a Continental staffer emailed a top Interior appointee with instructions for how to approve permits while bypassing the court’s ruling. Interior’s acting assistant secretary responded the next morning: “Please let’s talk today about the path forward.”

The path forward has paid dividends for Hamm: since Trump took office, the Bureau of Land Management has approved more than 500 new Continental wells across the county. Hamm has been a key player in the Trump administration's myopic focus on fossil fuel development after donating some $2 million to his campaign. The oil tycoon also has deep ties to Burgum, supporting and bankrolling his political ascension. 

“These emails are a smoking gun. Continental Resources handed Doug Burgum’s Interior Department a step-by-step guide for handing out drilling permits in defiance of a federal court, and Burgum’s team followed it to the letter,” said Jayson O’Neill, spokesperson for Save Our Parks. “Harold Hamm has bankrolled Burgum’s political career, and he’s still pulling the strings to this day. Congress must investigate what was promised in that Oklahoma City hotel room and who else is getting this kind of VIP treatment at the expense of America's public lands.”

To speak with Save Our Parks spokesperson Jayson O’Neill, email jayson@focalpointstrategygroup.com. 

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