Washington, May 27 (AP) - A Texas oil executive who belongs to Elon Musk's government efficiency team has been granted significant authority to revamp the federal department responsible for managing vast expanses of resource-rich public lands. Despite this influential role, he has not divested from his energy investments or filed an ethics commitment to sever ties with companies that may create a conflict of interest, according to records.
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum appointed Tyler Hassen, who has no Senate confirmation and lacks public administration experience, to reorganize the Interior Department. This department oversees approximately 70,000 employees across 11 agencies, including the National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, Fish and Wildlife Service, and more.
Prior to his role with DOGE, Hassen spent nearly two decades as an executive at Basin Holdings, a company involved in the global manufacture, sale, and servicing of oil rigs. Financial disclosures show Hassen earned millions annually from these companies, owned by John Fitzgibbons—an influential industry figure with connections in Russia.
These potential conflicts of interest have raised concerns among Democratic lawmakers, conservation groups, and environmental advocates, who view Hassen's appointment as a means to bypass Senate confirmation and oversight, testing the bounds of congressional authority.
“It’s a dereliction of duty to offload decisions about staffing and funding at the Interior Department to someone who hasn’t even been confirmed by the Senate," said Kate Groetzinger from the Centre for Western Priorities, a nonpartisan conservation organization.
The Interior Department did not respond to interview requests with Hassen, but spokesperson Katie Martin stated in an email that Hassen is supporting the President's vision for major reforms and that Interior will “continue to prioritize retaining first responders, parks services, and energy production employees.”
Hassen’s responsibilities include reviewing “every single contract, every single grant” and creating action items for Burgum, as he explained in an April FOX News interview. Burgum commended Hassen and DOGE on X, noting they had “identified massive amounts of waste, fraud, and abuse already!”
The draft of the Interior's new strategic plan suggests increasing “clean coal, oil, and gas production through faster permitting” while reducing regulations to “generate more revenue from lands and resources for the US Treasury.”
Hassen has twice issued notices in the Federal Register extending Trump's freeze on regulations, preventing agencies from proposing or issuing new rules, and removed opportunities for public comment, labeling them “contrary to the public interest.” The latest extension continues until June 4.
The process of Hassen's involvement with Musk remains unclear, as there is limited information about him online. He shared with FOX News that prior to DOGE, he was “running five businesses in Houston," describing his new role as “me giving back to the country.”
Hassen was an executive at Basin Holdings—overseen by Fitzgibbons—since 2008. His online presence includes a 2010 Facebook photo at the “Samotlor Field, Western Siberia - largest oilfield in Russia.”
Testing the boundaries within the department, Burgum appointed Hassen as assistant secretary for policy, management, and budget in March. However, his title was changed in April to “principal deputy assistant secretary,” a role that does not require Senate approval or an ethics commitment.
Kathleen Clark, a government ethics expert at Washington University in St. Louis, accused Interior officials of fraud by modifying titles to avoid filing critical documentation to comply with ethics standards.
Hassen sought to dismiss a senior department lawyer in April for refusing to grant him and DOGE officials access to a sensitive personnel database, aimed at significant department-wide staff reductions. Hassen criticized Tony Irish, an associate solicitor, as “subverting, obstructing, and delaying the process." Irish is currently on leave, appealing the dismissal, represented by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility.
Jacob Malcom, a former executive at the Interior Department, argues that Burgum's directive for Hassen to make “appropriate funding decisions” for changes and to ensure “the appropriate transfer of funds, programs, records, and property" is unconstitutional, as Congress—not assistant secretaries—has the power to appropriate funds.
Financial disclosures reveal that although Hassen did not file a divestment commitment, he did report a nearly USD 4 million annual income from Fitzgibbon’s companies. Hassen stated he sold his equity in these companies and will receive payments until June 2026.
Hassen disclosed holding USD 50,001 to USD 100,000 in Block Harvest, a cryptocurrency mining firm using flared natural gas, and USD 250,000 to USD 500,000 in Global Guardian, a security company. His portfolio includes 254 stocks, spanning cryptocurrency, tobacco, foreign banking, and stakes in various energy sectors.
Concerns over Hassen's potential conflicts of interest have been heightened among environmental groups and some US lawmakers. Josh Axelrod of the National Resources Defence Council stated that Hassen aims to dismantle regulations restricting the fossil fuel industry, adding he’s “uniquely qualified to flag the ones they don’t like.”
Senator Jeff Merkley and Representative Chellie Pingree, both ranking Democrats on Interior's oversight subcommittees, have called for a halt on Hassen’s large-scale reorganization. Senator Martin Heinrich criticized Hassen’s delegation of authority as violating the Vacancies Reform Act in a May 7 letter to Burgum, describing it as “baffling and extremely troubling.”
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