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Senate Confirms Haaland As Interior Secretary In Largely Partisan Vote

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Published Date

March 15, 2021

Congresswoman Deb Haaland on Monday was confirmed as Interior secretary for the Biden Administration.

Deb Haaland, a Native American from New Mexico, on Monday was confirmed in a largely partisan vote by the U.S. Senate to become Interior secretary in the Biden administration. 

Haaland, who had represented New Mexico in Congress, becomes the first Native American to hold a Cabinet-level position in the history of the United States. Just four Republicans joined the chamber's Democrats in approving Haaland's selection by a 51-40 vote that largely centered around the issue of developing fossil fuels on public lands, something President Joe Biden has placed a moratorium on.

Her appointment surely will bring a whipsaw change to Interior, which oversees the National Park Service, U.S. Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and other public lands agencies. Under the Trump administration Interior often worked to ease roadblocks to energy development on those lands.

At Interior she is being put in charge of altering, if not entirely reversing, decisions and actions taken by President Trump's Interior Department. Biden has made it known he opposes the border wall that President Trump diverted funds from the Defense Department to be built, and is being counted on to revert Grand Staircase-Escalante and Bears Ears national monuments to their original dimensions.

“Today is a historic day for all of us who care for our public lands and waters. Secretary Haaland is a fierce advocate for the protection of our parks, sacred landscapes and the environment," said Theresa Pierno, president and CEO of the National Parks Conservation Association. "As a descendant of the original guardians of our lands, she brings a unique perspective, unlike any Interior Secretary before her. She has vowed to elevate and engage underrepresented communities with an eye towards rebuilding the agency and the public lands it protects. Better representing the makeup and values of our country will help ensure that everyone can see themselves reflected and feel welcomed in these important places."

The confirmation of Haaland, who is an enrolled member of the Pueblo of Laguna and also has Jemez Pueblo heritage, likewise was applauded by National Park Foundation President and CEO Will Shafroth, who said she "recognizes the value and importance of the 423 national park sites that reflect the beauty, grandeur, and history of our country. We are confident that national parks and public lands will be in good hands under her leadership."

Her time to get settled at Interior will be short, as a number of pressing issues await her action. She'll be expected to play a key role in the administration's push to see 30 percent of U.S. lands and waters protected for nature by 2030, to grapple with efforts to slow climate change, and to give greater weight to renewable energy production from public lands.

During her confirmation hearing Haaland pointed out that Interior "has a role in harnessing the clean energy potential of our public lands to create jobs and new economic opportunities."

The National Park Service also needs to have a Senate-confirmed director, something it never saw during the Trump administration. Across the Park Service under former Interior Secretary David Bernhardt there was a great reluctance by agency officials and staff to draw attention to themselves, preferring to float under the radar. Many, if not all, Park Service decisions first had to be vetted by Bernhardt's inner circle before they could be implemented.

There also was great concern voiced by outside groups over Bernhardt's decision to keep most national parks open during the partial government shutdown of 2018-19, the longest shutdown in history, as well as his handling of park operations during the coronavirus pandemic.

Haaland also will be watched to see whether she'll recommend to the president that the BLM headquarters be moved back to Washington, D.C., from Grand Junction, Colorado, where it was moved under President Trump.

And she'll be counted on to bring greater attention to Native voices on matters involving public lands that were their homelands.

“Haaland’s lived experiences are critical to reorienting Interior toward people, Indigenous rights and climate-focused, science-based conservation. We look forward to seeing our country’s lands and waters integrated with efforts to increase outdoors equity, mitigate climate impacts by protecting 30 percent of lands and water by 2030, and foster healthier communities,” said Chris Hill, acting director of Sierra Club’s Our Wild America campaign.

“New Mexicans are bursting with pride to see our own Deb Haaland leading the Department of the Interior. She understands the bold, meaningful progress we need to heal our climate, our lands and people’s connection to them. The collaborative spirit she brought to safeguarding the region around Chaco Culture National Historical Park from encroaching extraction will serve her well as steward of our nation’s public lands,” added Camilla Feibelman, Sierra Club Rio Grande Chapter Director.

In the East, Chesapeake Conservancy President & CEO Joel Dunn said that as the "first Indigenous woman to hold this level of public office in the United States, Secretary Debra Haaland will elevate a critical perspective and voice to the Department of the Interior and to the Administration."

"The United States must reconcile its historic legacy of oppressing and excluding Indigenous people and Tribal Nations, and the management of U.S. lands and natural resources is integral to that effort," he added. "We are confident Secretary Haaland will exercise equitable and thoughtful leadership in managing America’s public lands, waters and natural resources for the betterment and enjoyment of future generations."

Comments

Great news! Wish USDA could have had a similar dynamic leader appointed but I guess old white guys need jobs too. 


is it okay to write old white guys need jobs too on this site?


No, Potato Head, not as long as the old white guys are clearly and demonstrably better qualified for those jobs than the other candidates and aren't just getting those jobs for no other reason than because they're old, white, and guys.

As far as the USDA goes, it's time to acknowledge that there are a lot of black guys, young and old, who know a bit about agriculture and a visit to any good aggie university will reveal plenty of young women of color coming up fast too.  After all, it often turns out that it's the coeds who are actually studying the material and doing their homework.

While we're on the subject, now that the administration had found a job for old white Gene Sperling, maybe it's time to give Shalanda Young her fifteen minutes of fame.  After all, whether you like her or not, she's been doing the job, paying her dues, and is generally acknowledged as clearly and demonstrably qualified under the most relevant actual job criteria.


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