Surge In Luxury Car Demand: A Key Driver Transforming The Audio Equipment Market 2024By MATTHEW BROWN and JACK DURA BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — Donald Trump assigned Doug Burgum a singular mission in nominating the governor of oil-rich North Dakota to lead an agency that oversees a half-billion acres of federal land and vast areas offshore: “Drill baby drill.” That dictate from the president-elect’s announcement of Burgum for Secretary of Interior sets the stage for a reignition of the court battles over public lands and waters that helped define Trump’s first term, with environmentalists worried about climate change already pledging their opposition. Burgum is an ultra-wealthy software industry entrepreneur who grew up on his family’s farm. He represents a tame choice compared to other Trump Cabinet picks. Public lands experts said his experience as a popular two-term governor who aligns himself with conservationist Teddy Roosevelt suggests a willingness to collaborate, as opposed to dismantling from within the agency he is tasked with leading. That could help smooth his confirmation and clear the way for the incoming administration to move quickly to open more public lands to development and commercial use. “Burgum strikes me as a credible nominee who could do a credible job as Interior secretary,” said John Leshy, who served as Interior’s solicitor under former President Bill Clinton. “He’s not a right-wing radical on public lands,” added Leshy, professor emeritus at the University of California College of the Law, San Francisco. Frictions over lands The Interior Department manages about one-fifth of the country’s land with a mandate that spans from wildlife conservation and recreation to natural resource extraction and fulfilling treaty obligations with Native American tribes. Most of those lands are in the West, where frictions with private landowners and state officials are commonplace and have sometimes mushroomed into violent confrontations with right-wing groups that reject federal jurisdiction. Burgum if confirmed would be faced with a pending U.S. Supreme Court action from Utah that seeks to assert state power over Interior Department lands. North Dakota’s attorney general has supported the lawsuit, but Burgum’s office declined to say if he backs Utah’s claims. U.S. Justice Department attorneys on Thursday asked the Supreme Court to reject Utah’s lawsuit. They said Utah in 1894 agreed to give up its right to the lands at issue when it became a state. Trump’s narrow focus on fossil fuels is a replay from his 2016 campaign — although minus coal mining, a collapsing industry that he failed to revive in his first term. Trump repeatedly hailed oil as “liquid gold” on the campaign trail this year and largely omitted any mention of coal. About 26% of U.S. oil comes from federal lands and offshore waters overseen by Interior. Production continues to hit record levels under President Joe Biden despite claims by Trump that the Democrat hindered drilling. But industry representatives and their Republican allies say volumes could be further boosted. They want Burgum and the Interior Department to ramp up oil and gas sales from federal lands, in the Gulf of Mexico and offshore Alaska. The oil industry also hopes Trump’s government efficiency initiative led by billionaire Elon Musk can dramatically reduce environmental reviews. Biden’s administration reduced the frequency and size of lease sales, and it restored environmental rules that were weakened under Trump . The Democrat as a candidate in 2020 promised further restrictions on drilling to help combat global warming, but he struck a deal for the 2022 climate bill that requires offshore oil and gas sales to be held before renewable energy leases can be sold. “Oil and gas brings billions of dollars of revenue in, but you don’t get that if you don’t have leasing,” said Erik Milito with the National Ocean Industries Association, which represents offshore industries including oil and wind. Trump has vowed to kill offshore wind energy projects. But Milito said he was hopeful that with Burgum in place it would be “green lights ahead for everything, not just oil and gas.” Conservation, drilling and grazing It is unclear if Burgum would revive some of the most controversial steps taken at the agency during Trump’s first term, including relocating senior officials out of Washington, D.C., dismantling parts of the Endangered Species Act and shrinking the size of two national monuments in Utah designated by former President Barack Obama. Officials under Biden spent much of the past four years reversing Trump’s moves. They restored the Utah monuments and rescinded numerous Trump regulations. Onshore oil and gas lease sales plummeted — from more than a million acres sold annually under Trump and other previous administrations, to just 91,712 acres (37,115 hectares) sold last year — while many wind and solar projects advanced. Developing energy leases takes years, and oil companies control millions of acres that remain untapped. Biden’s administration also elevated the importance of conservation in public lands decisions, adopting a rule putting it more on par with oil and gas development. They proposed withdrawing parcels of land in six states from potential future mining to protect a struggling bird species, the greater sage grouse. North Dakota is among Republican states that challenged the Biden administration’s public lands rule. The states said in a June lawsuit that officials acting to prevent climate change have turned laws meant to facilitate development into policies that obstruct drilling, livestock grazing and other uses. Oil production boomed over the past two decades in North Dakota thanks in large part to better drilling techniques. Burgum has been an industry champion and last year signed a repeal of the state’s oil tax trigger — a price-based tax hike industry leaders supported removing. Burgum’s office declined an interview request. In a statement after his nomination, Burgum echoed Trump’s call for U.S. “energy dominance” in the global market. The 68-year-old governor also said the Interior post offered an opportunity to improve government relations with developers, tribes, landowners and outdoor enthusiasts “with a focus on maximizing the responsible use of our natural resources with environmental stewardship for the benefit of the American people.” Related Articles National Politics | Beyond evangelicals, Trump and his allies courted smaller faith groups, from the Amish to Chabad National Politics | Trump’s team is delaying transition agreements. What does it mean for security checks and governing? National Politics | Judge delays Trump hush money sentencing in order to decide where case should go now National Politics | Republicans scramble to fill JD Vance’s Ohio Senate seat National Politics | Gaetz’s withdrawal highlights how incoming presidents often lose Cabinet nominees Under current Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, the agency put greater emphasis on working collaboratively with tribes, including their own energy projects . Haaland, a member of the Pueblo of Laguna tribe in New Mexico, also advanced an initiative to solve criminal cases involving missing and murdered Indigenous peoples and helped lead a nationwide reckoning over abuses at federal Indian boarding schools that culminated in a formal public apology from Biden. Burgum has worked with tribes in his state, including on oil development. Badlands Conservation Alliance director Shannon Straight in Bismarck, North Dakota, said Burgum has also been a big supporter of tourism in North Dakota and outdoor activities such as hunting and fishing. Yet Straight said that hasn’t translated into additional protections for land in the state. “Theodore Roosevelt had a conservation ethic, and we talk and hold that up as a beautiful standard to live by,” he said. “We haven’t seen it as much on the ground. ... We need to recognize the landscape is only going to be as good as some additional protections.” Burgum has been a cheerleader of the planned Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library in Medora, North Dakota. Brown reported from Billings, Montana.
Walmart has become the most recent retailer known to have some store employees wear body cameras . The nation's largest retailer has some employees taking part in a body camera pilot program. “While we don’t talk about the specifics of our security measures, we are always looking at new and innovative technology used across the retail industry," Walmart said in a statement to USA TODAY. "This is a pilot we are testing in one market, and we will evaluate the results before making any longer-term decisions." While some retailers are prioritizing theft prevention with the deployment of body cameras, a person close to the project says Walmart is focusing the test on employee safety at a handful of stores involved in the pilot. A shopper in Denton, Texas shared a photo of a Walmart associate wearing a yellow-and-black body camera earlier this month with CNBC, the news outlet reported . A photo of body cameras in charging bays reportedly from a Walmart store was posted on Reddit a month ago. The photo includes a poster detailing directions of how to use the camera to record an event if an interaction with a customer is escalating. Holiday deals: Shop this season’s top products and sales curated by our editors. Holiday shipping deadlines: USPS, FedEx and UPS holiday gift shipping schedules for arrival by Dec. 24 Other retailers piloting body camera use in US stores Walmart would not be the first retailer to deploy body cameras in the U.S. Earlier this year, TJX, the parent company of T.J. Maxx , HomeGoods and Marshalls , began having some employees at its stores use body cameras . "It's almost like a de-escalation where people are less likely to do something when they're being videotaped," TJX chief financial officer John Klinger said in May during the company's first quarter earnings call. "Body cameras are currently used by certain Loss Prevention Associates, who have gone through thorough training on how to use the cameras effectively in their roles," TJX said in a statement to USA TODAY. "Video footage is only shared upon request by law enforcement or in response to a subpoena." Body cameras are one way TJX creates "a safe store environment," the company said. "We hope that these body cameras will help us de-escalate incidents, deter crime, and demonstrate to our Associates and customers that we take safety in our stores seriously.” Body cameras could eventually become a common fixture in stores – and are trending that way in the U.K. Shoplifting rate increase could lead to more body cameras in stores More than one-third (35%) of U.S. retailers in the 2023 National Retail Security Survey , conducted by the National Retail Federation, said they were researching body-worn cameras for employees or loss prevention personnel. About 11% were already piloting or testing the solution, the NRF found. Retailers are considering the use of body cameras to protect employees and prevent theft, David Johnston, the National Retail Federation's vice president of asset protection and retail operations, said in a statement to USA TODAY. "Retailers are making every effort to ensure the safety and well-being of their customers, associates and communities," he said. "The use of body cameras is still a newer technology being used in retail and individual retailers are finding how this technology best works within their environments." Theft has become a growing concern for retailers. From 2019 to 2023, shoplifting incidents rose 93% – and the dollar loss rose 90%, according to a report out today from the NRF, the Loss Prevention Research Council and Sensormatic Solutions . Some hope the body cameras serve as a deterrent. That's because shoplifters have become more violent and aggressive, according to 91% of the senior loss prevention and senior executives surveyed. That issue highlights "why retailers are continuously looking at measures to reduce the threat of violence," Johnston said. So one of the things that we've added, we started to do last year, late towards the year, were body cameras on our LP associates. And when somebody comes in, it's sort of -- it's almost like a de-escalation where people are less likely to do something when they're being videotaped. So we definitely feel that that's playing a role. Also, during the end of the year, when we look at our shrink results, we're able to then set our plans for the following year and seeing what worked, what didn't and so it's about continuing to lean into the strategies that worked last year. But again, we count our inventory at the end of the year and that's when we would be in a position to give guidance. Follow Mike Snider on X and Threads: @mikesnider & mikegsnider . What's everyone talking about? Sign up for our trending newsletter to get the latest news of the day