Emails obtained by The Associated Press reveal Doug Burgum as North Dakota governor catered to the whims of oil and gas executives while leveraging those connections to expand his political profile.

The Senate voted Wednesday evening to close debate on Doug Burgum to lead the Interior Department. The former North Dakota governor is likely to be confirmed easily after the 78-20 cloture vote, with 25 Democrats voting in favor.

This article was produced for ProPublica’s Local Reporting Network in partnership with the North Dakota Monitor. Sign up for Dispatches to get stories like this one as soon as they are published. During Doug Burgum’s two terms as North Dakota governor,

WASHINGTON — Former North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum has cleared a vital step in his bid to become Interior secretary.

The former North Dakota governor told senators at his confirmation hearing that he saw limits on energy production as a national security threat.

Members of the committee had the opportunity to question Burgum on an array of different topics regarding energy, mineral resources and beyond.

Burgum met the threshold for a vote to proceed with a full Senate debate, meaning his final vote for confirmation will be Thursday night or Friday.