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Oil Billionaire Considered to Lead Energy Department

Continental Resources founder and CEO Harold Hamm, second to the left, at the Oklahoma Independent Petroleum Association office in Oklahoma City.

An oil billionaire, a North Dakota lawmaker and a former Bush administration official are being considered to run Donald Trump's Energy Department. That's according to transition planning documents obtained by The Associated Press.

The documents, which are being closely examined by energy lobbyists in Washington, also outline early policy priorities for a Trump administration.

Topping the list is repealing the Clean Power Plan, an Obama administration effort to limit carbon pollution from power plants.

Those under consideration for energy secretary include Harold Hamm, an Oklahoma oil tycoon and leading proponent of fracking, and North Dakota Rep. Kevin Cramer, an early Trump supporter from a major oil drilling state.

Venture capitalist Robert Grady, who worked in President George H.W. Bush's administration, is listed as a contender to lead both the Energy and Interior Departments.

Trump has vowed to roll back many of the environmental regulations put in place during Obama's eight years in office.

The Associated Press is one of the largest and most trusted sources of independent newsgathering, supplying a steady stream of news to its members, international subscribers and commercial customers. AP is neither privately owned nor government-funded; instead, it's a not-for-profit news cooperative owned by its American newspaper and broadcast members.
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