Learn more about Hart Energy Conferences
Get our latest conference schedules, updates and insights straight to your inbox.
Harold Hamm, the billionaire entrepreneur, oil and gas explorer and chairman and CEO of Continental Resources (NYSE: CLR) could be adding U.S. energy secretary to his resume.
Reuters reported that Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump is considering nominating Hamm if Trump wins the White House.
Attempts to reach Hamm for comment were unsuccessful.
Hamm is no stranger to the political world. Prior to the lifting of the oil export ban in 2015 Hamm participated in 250 one-on-one meetings in the nation’s capital.
Hamm endorsed Trump in April and is one of the candidate’s energy advisers. Hamm previously served as Mitt Romney’s chief energy adviser during the 2012 presidential contest. He is chairman of the Domestic Energy Producers Alliance, an organization seeking bipartisan solutions for independent oil and natural gas producers.
Hamm, who spoke July 20 at the Republican National Convention, told delegates that four years ago Trump asked him how “we had transformed the North Dakota Bakken into the largest U.S. oil discovery ever.”
Hamm said that he told Trump moving America from energy scarcity to abundance would change the world and “could power America to greatness once again. He wrote that down. Donald Trump got it.”
Dan Eberhart, an oil investor and Republican financier, said he had been told by officials in Trump's campaign that Hamm, who has been an informal advisor to Trump on energy policy since at least May, was “the leading contender” for the position, Reuters reported.
Reuters said three other sources close to the Trump campaign confirmed Trump was considering Hamm for the post.
Prior to Hamm’s speech, he was asked by CNBC conservative commentator Larry Kudlow about the speculation that he would be energy secretary. Hamm “shrugged at the suggestion,” E&E News reported.
On the convention stage, Hamm said President Barack Obama had hamstrung the oil and gas industry. Trump, he said, would release America’s pent-up energy potential, “get rid of foreign oil, trash punitive regulations, create millions of jobs and develop our most strategic geopolitical weapon… crude oil.”
Hamm said that every time the U.S. is unable to drill a well, “terrorism is being funded.”
This year, Oil and Gas Investor magazine named Hamm executive of the year for his leadership in the Bakken, Scoop and Stack plays and his work to lift the oil export ban.
Darren Barbee can be reached at dbarbee@hartenergy.com.
Recommended Reading
Oilfield Service Companies Dril-Quip, Innovex to Merge
2024-03-18 - Dril-Quip Inc. and Innovex Downhole Solutions Inc. will emerge as a new company, Innovex International, with expanded reach in global markets.
Government, Private Sector Learning to ‘Dance’ Towards Transition
2024-03-18 - Panel: Federal loans will continue to play a major role in advancing newer energy technologies.
CERAWeek: Energy Secretary Defends LNG Pause Amid Industry Outcry
2024-03-18 - U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said she expects the review of LNG exports to be in the “rearview mirror” by next year.
Belcher: Our Leaders Should Embrace, Not Vilify, Certified Natural Gas
2024-03-18 - Recognition gained through gas certification verified by third-party auditors has led natural gas producers and midstream companies to voluntarily comply and often exceed compliance with regulatory requirements, including the EPA methane rule.
Tellurian Executive Chairman ‘Encouraged’ by Progress
2024-03-18 - Tellurian announced new personnel assignments as the company continues to recover from a turbulent 2023.