WASHINGTON

The US Senate approved the nomination of Doug Burgum to lead the Interior Department on Thursday.

President Donald Trump's pick was confirmed in a 79-18 vote.

During his confirmation hearing on Jan. 16, the former North Dakota governor said he will bring his experiences and lessons learned to the leadership of the tens of thousands of dedicated professionals within the department.

Stressing that energy dominance is the foundation of American prosperity, Burgum said national security issues and the economy were his two top priorities.

"When energy production is restricted in America, it doesn’t reduce demand, it just shifts production to countries like Russia, Venezuela and Iran – whose autocratic leaders don’t care about the environment," he added.