Trump says Interior pick Burgum will chair new National Energy Council

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -President-elect Donald Trump said on Friday that he was creating a National Energy Council to coordinate his administration's strategy to loosen regulations around energy production and boost U.S. output.

The body will be led by Trump's pick for interior secretary, North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum, who as chair of the National Energy Council will also have a seat on the National Security Council.

"This Council will oversee the path to U.S. ENERGY DOMINANCE by cutting red tape, enhancing private sector investments across all sectors of the Economy, and by focusing on INNOVATION over longstanding, but totally unnecessary, regulation," Trump said in a statement.

The news came a day after Trump said Burgum, a wealthy former software executive, would lead the Interior Department. A cabinet post, the interior secretary oversees policies guiding the use of 500 million acres (202 million hectares) of federal and tribal land -- including energy and mineral development.

The National Energy Council will represent federal departments and agencies involved in permitting and regulating all forms of energy, the statement said.

Trump said his government would seek to expand energy production, including baseload power to support power demand tied to the development of artificial intelligence, while reducing electricity bills for consumers.

He also said his policies would reduce the national deficit and create jobs while preserving landscapes.

"Doug Burgum will protect our Nation's Natural Resources, restore our fabulous Oil and Gas advantage, and Make America, and its Energy, Dominant and Great Again!" Trump said.

(Reporting by Eric Beech in Washington and Nichola Groom in Altadena, California; Editing by Caitlin Webber and Jonathan Oatis)