During a recent policy event with Breitbart News, Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum expressed concerns about the legal challenges facing the U.S. energy sector. He believes these obstacles are impeding the country’s progress, especially as China makes strides in artificial intelligence without similar regulatory hurdles.
Burgum, who chairs the National Energy Control Council under President Donald Trump, conveyed these thoughts to Breitbart’s Washington Bureau Chief, Matthew Boyle. He noted that some of the leading figures in Silicon Valley, who may not always align with Trump, recognize this situation. Their backing for a 2024 presidential election largely stems from it.
“At the November 2024 inauguration ceremony, prominent figures like Tim Cook, Elon Musk, and Mark Zuckerberg were present—within 20 feet of the president,” Burgum remarked. “Why? Because they all see the need for a president who understands that increased energy is essential to succeed in the AI arms race, and restrictive policies only lead to energy shortages,” he added.
According to Burgum, the Chinese Communist Party has declared that its AI technologies have reached a global standard, aiming to make China a major innovation center in AI by 2030.
Wynton Hall, in his book “Code Red,” points out that nearly half of the world’s top AI researchers are from China, and they produce almost double the number of AI-related Ph.D.s compared to the U.S.
Burgum emphasized that Trump’s objective to outpace China in the AI sector is instigating significant change, with major tech companies supporting the endeavor. “If we persist with energy cutbacks, we don’t stand a chance,” he warned. “Right now, we have an opportunity.”
He mentioned that the Chinese “don’t get bogged down in lengthy legal disputes over bureaucratic rules.” At the Interior Department, he remarked that regulations from the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) have been a barrier, but they revised rules to align more closely with the original law, focusing only on the necessary 20%.
“We found that 80% of what people were held accountable for wasn’t part of the original statute,” he explained. “If you’re navigating NEPA on DOI property, you’ll be dealing with the 20% that is actually in the law.” This change, he pointed out, has reduced some processes that traditionally took years down to just days.
For instance, he noted, an Environmental Assessment (EA) was completed in just 12 days—without any shortcuts. In a surprising comparison, he remarked that Environmental Impact Statements (EIS) that used to take two years were now achievable in 24 days. The question naturally arises: how is that even possible without cutting corners?
“No, corners were not cut. It was a matter of streamlining,” he clarified, describing the previous bureaucratic process. He compared it to a convoluted game of telephone: “Oh, we’ll send it to Matt, who contacts us in 30 days, and then sends it to John in another 30 days.”
However, he cautioned, China is advancing quickly, unburdened by permitting challenges.
