The Biden administration is moving to lock up hundreds of thousands of acres of land weeks before he is set to leave office.
The Department of the Interior (DOI) <a href="https://www.doi.gov/pressreleases/biden-harris-administration-proposes-protections-ruby-mountains" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced</a> on Monday a slate of environmental rules for Nevada’s Ruby Mountains, including banning energy development along a large portion of the range for the next 20 years.
“The Ruby Mountains are cherished by local communities for their scenic value, cultural heritage, numerous wildlife and benefit to the local economy through a thriving outdoor recreation industry,” Interior Secretary Deb Haaland said in a statement. “Today, we are taking an important and sensible step to pause new oil and gas leasing to ensure that we have the science and public input necessary to inform proposed protections of the Ruby Mountains area for future generations.”
The announcement coincided with a notice to the Federal Register that initiates a 90-day public comment period for the proposed withdrawal of 264,000 acres of land from potential geothermal and oil and gas development for 20 years, the maximum length of time the Interior Secretary can lock up land. Permanent bans on federal land require an act of Congress.
The withdrawal notice does not otherwise regulate mining over the area, according to the press release. Nevada is a well-known source of gold deposits, being one of the top-producing regions of gold in the world.
Alongside the Ruby Mountain withdrawal, the DOI also announced the purchase of a 640-acre, equivalent to a square mile, parcel of land from Wyoming within the Grand Teton National Park. The purchase also came with permanent environmental bans over the piece of land.
“Today marks an incredible milestone, decades in the making, to permanently protect an essential wildlife migration corridor and treasured landscape within Grand Teton National Park,” Haaland <a href="https://www.doi.gov/pressreleases/interior-department-announces-permanent-protections-critical-land-and-wildlife" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>. “This will benefit our public lands and Wyoming’s public school students for generations to come.”

Deb Haaland

Biden Moves To Lock Up Miles Of Nevada Land Under Environmental Rules

Department of the Interior

Environment

Nevada

Politics

A key lawmaker reacted in disbelief Tuesday when a Biden cabinet official said the climate change agenda took priority over the livelihoods of blue collar workers because &#8220;there’s a lot of jobs.&#8221;
The exchange between Sen. Josh Hawley, (R-MO), and Interior Secretary Deb Haaland came Tuesday as Hawley noted that manufacturing lithium-ion batteries for the electric vehicles being pushed by the Biden Administration causes environmental damage. When a stumped Haaland admitted she didn&#8217;t know China was the world&#8217;s leading producer of refined lithium and cobalt, and chief exporter of graphite to the U.S., Hawley said dependence on an adversary for such electric car components posed a threat to the U.S.
“Your decision to trade off our energy security in favor of a radical climate change agenda is making us more and more dependent on China,” Hawley said. “And at the same time you are denying mining, blocking mining, blocking permits for mines in this country that would allow us to develop nickel and copper and cobalt. Why? Why block the development of these resources in our own nation in favor of making us dependent on China?”
Earlier this year, the Biden Administration <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/top-biden-official-suggests-too-many-jobs-defending-climate-agenda-tense-exchange" target="_blank" rel="noopener">banned mining</a> across 225,504 acres near Duluth, Minnesota. Haaland asked if Hawley was referring to the Boundary Waters that lie near the Twin Metals mine in northeast Minnesota, commenting that they were an “iconic place, of course, a very valuable ecological system to many plants, animals, species.”
“Jobs for blue collar workers in this nation are valuable resources,” Hawley replied. “The livelihood and well-being of American families are valuable resources. The ability of America to have our own industry and not be dependent on China is a valuable resource. Why should those things for millions of Americans be sacrificed in favor of your agenda for radical climate change?”
“Senator, I know that there&#8217;s like 1.9 jobs for every American in the country right now. So, I know there&#8217;s a lot of jobs,” Haaland replied.
“Wait a minute. Wait a minute. Wait a minute. … You&#8217;re telling me we&#8217;ve got too many jobs in the country?” Hawley asked.
&#8220;Well, I&#8217;m saying that we don&#8217;t have enough people,” Haaland answered. “That&#8217;s why we are having a hard time finding folks to work at our department.”
“You’re telling me that we have too many jobs for blue collar workers?&#8221; Hawley shot back. &#8220;Have you seen the number of jobs we have lost in this country to China in the last 20 years? Do you know where those jobs come from? Over three million jobs have gone to China. Do you know where those jobs have come from? They’ve come out of Midwestern towns like the ones I represent. They are blue collar workers, and you’re sitting here and telling me that we have too many jobs in this country? Are you serious?”
Hawley accused the Biden administration of dismissing blue-collar workers while pursuing a dubious environmental policy.
“Trading off American energy security in favor of your radical climate change agenda, shutting down good-paying jobs in our energy sector and then saying we’ve got plenty of jobs in this country I think is the most, potentially — and this is quite a high bar, I might add — the most unbelievable statement I have heard from a member of this administration maybe in my time in the Senate,” Hawley said.
<iframe loading="lazy" src="https://www.c-span.org/video/standalone/?c5069045/user-clip-hawley-haaland" width="512" height="330" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>

Hawley

‘Are You Serious?’: Hawley Stunned As Biden Official Dismisses US Energy Workers, Saying ‘There’s A Lot Of Jobs’

Energy

Jobs

Josh Hawley

Mining

Minnesota

U.S.

A nonprofit watchdog group is suing the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/department-of-the-interior" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Department of the Interior</a> over communications between Secretary <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/deb-haaland" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Deb Haaland</a>, her activist daughter, and department officials.
Protect the Public&#8217;s Trust (PPT) filed two lawsuits against the Biden administration on Monday; one against the Interior Department and another against one of its agencies, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). Both lawsuits are over an open records request PPT filed with Interior for communications between Haaland’s daughter Somah and the secretary and other department officials, according to <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/biden-admin-hit-lawsuits-hiding-communications-involving-cabinet-secretarys-daughter" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Fox News</a>.
Somah is a media organizer for the Pueblo Action Alliance (PAA), a New Mexico environmental group <a href="https://www.puebloactionalliance.org/protectgreaterchaco" target="_blank" rel="noopener">pushing</a> for a moratorium on oil and gas drilling within a 10-mile radius of the Chaco Culture National Historical Park. The ban, which has been picked up and proposed by BLM, has <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/biden-cabinet-members-daughter-lobbying-congress-issue-her-mom-final-say-conflict-interest" target="_blank" rel="noopener">drawn</a> fire from industry and Native American interests.
PAA’s lobbying is part of a broader effort by the Greater Chaco Coalition, a group of environmental organizations working together to lobby D.C. officials to ban fossil fuel development in the Chaco Canyon area. As part of that effort, Somah and other coalition representatives <a href="https://wildearthguardians.org/press-releases/greater-chaco-advocates-travel-dc/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">traveled</a> to Washington, D.C., in December to show a film on the dangers of development near the Chaco Culture National Historical Park.
Lawmakers and Interior officials attended the screening and watched a panel of coalition representatives, including Somah, speak on the film.
Somah’s position as an activist and the daughter of the official ultimately in charge of the department she is lobbying is a red flag for an ethical breach, according to PPT Director Michael Chamberlain. PPT has filed open record requests for any communications concerning the film sent between Somah and her secretary mother and other department officials.
<a class="c-link c-link--focus-visible" href="https://onelink.to/dwapp" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-stringify-link="https://onelink.to/dwapp" data-sk="tooltip_parent">CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILY WIRE APP</a>
“Her daughter’s activism and lobbying efforts certainly have the potential to create the perception in the minds of the public that Secretary Haaland could be conflicted on issues under her authority,” Chamberlain told Fox News. “Further complicating matters is the participation of an organization that claims Somah Haaland among its leadership in the protest that turned into a riot at the Interior headquarters.”
“Each of these items alone would point to the need for DOI to provide more transparency into any relationships and interactions between Somah Haaland and senior Department officials,” added Chamberlain. “Taken together, this need is magnified.”

Interior Secretary Deb Haaland’s Relationship With Activist Daughter Under Spotlight In New Lawsuits

Washington D.C.

The <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/department-of-the-interior">Department of the Interior</a> (DOI) announced Friday that its Derogatory Geographic Names Task Force is in the final steps of removing the word squaw from certain <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/federal-government">federally owned lands</a> across the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/united-states">United States</a>.
The Derogatory Geographic Names Task Force was <a href="https://www.doi.gov/pressreleases/secretary-haaland-takes-action-remove-derogatory-names-federal-lands">created</a> under the Biden administration in November 2021. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland also declared &#8220;squaw&#8221; to be derogatory and ordered the task force to review the term across 660 locations throughout the country. On Friday, DOI announced that the task force had concluded its review of those locations.
&#8220;I am grateful to the Derogatory Geographic Names Task Force for their work to ensure that racist names like sq___ no longer have a place on our federal lands. I look forward to the results of the U.S. Board on Geographic Names vote, and to implement changes as soon as is reasonable,&#8221; Haaland <a href="https://www.doi.gov/pressreleases/interior-department-moves-toward-final-steps-remove-sq-federal-lands">said</a> in a press release. (original censorship included) 
The press release also noted, &#8220;The Task Force this week provided replacement name recommendations to the U.S. Board on Geographic Names (BGN). The BGN is expected to vote on the Task Force recommendations in September, at which point a final list will be published.&#8221;
The word squaw is thought to have originated in part from the Algonquian language and was used by early European settlers to refer to Native American women. Since that time, the word squaw  has been used in a racist manner to belittle Native American women down to female anatomy, some argue.
&#8220;Racist terms have no place in our vernacular or on our federal lands,&#8221; Haaland <a href="https://www.npr.org/2021/11/19/1057367325/interior-secretary-deb-haaland-moves-to-ban-the-word-squaw-from-federal-lands">said</a> in November 2021. &#8220;Our nation&#8217;s lands and waters should be places to celebrate the outdoors and our shared cultural heritage — not to perpetuate the legacies of oppression.&#8221;
Abenaki scholar Marge Bruchac has argued that squaw is not offensive in and of itself unless it is intended to be so.
&#8220;&#8230;When I hear it spoken by Native peoples, in its proper context, I hear the voices of the ancestors. I am reminded of powerful grandmothers who nurtured our people and fed the strangers, of proud women chiefs who stood up against them, and of mothers and daughters and sisters who still stand here today,&#8221; she <a href="http://nativenortheastportal.com/editorial-note-use-word-squaw">wrote</a> in 1999. &#8220;In their honor I demand that our language, and our women, and our history, be treated with respect.&#8221;
The Interior Department also noted that the agency has undergone steps to remove offensive language in the past.
&#8220;Derogatory names have previously been identified by the Secretary of the Interior or the Board on Geographic Names and have been comprehensively replaced,&#8221; the agency <a href="https://www.doi.gov/pressreleases/secretary-haaland-takes-action-remove-derogatory-names-federal-lands">said</a> in a press release. &#8220;In 1962, Secretary Stewart Udall identified the N-word as derogatory, and directed that the BGN develop a policy to eliminate its use. In 1974, the Board on Geographic Names identified a pejorative term for &#8216;Japanese&#8217; as derogatory and eliminated its use.&#8221;

Joe Biden, Deb Haaland

Biden’s Derogatory Geographic Names Task Force Working To Remove The Word ‘Squaw’ From Federal Lands

Biden's Derogatory Geographic Names Task Force Working To Remove The Word 'Squaw' From Federal Lands

Biden Administration

Native Americans

A group of environmentalist organizations is suing the Biden administration to vacate more than 3,500 oil and gas drilling permits already approved in two states, even amidst the continuing energy crisis.
In a <a href="https://www.biologicaldiversity.org/programs/public_lands/energy/dirty_energy_development/oil_and_gas/pdfs/Multistate-Complaint-on-Applications-for-Permits-to-Drill.pdf">lawsuit</a> filed Wednesday in the Washington, D.C., District Court, two wildlife conservation activist groups, the Center for Biological Diversity and WildEarth Guardians, as well as the environmental activist law firm Western Environmental Law Center, sued the Department of the Interior, Interior Secretary Deb Haaland and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Director Tracy Stone-Manning, seeking to halt the approval of more than 3,500 permits in the Permian Basin in New Mexico and the Powder River Basin in Wyoming, saying the permits violate environmental laws. Those permits constitute nearly all of the permits approved in those two states.
&#8220;Climate change is driven primarily by the burning of fossil fuels for energy and transportation activities,&#8221; the groups write in the 62-page legal filing, which includes a 192-page appendix listing all of the targeted oil and gas wells.
&#8220;In the United States, almost one quarter of all annual emissions are from fossil fuel resources extracted from public lands,&#8221; the groups claim. &#8220;The drilling of these oil and gas wells will likely emit 490-600 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent greenhouse gas pollution over the course of their lifespans, equivalent to the annual emissions of between 131-161 coal fired power plants. This is both a nationally and globally significant quantity of emissions.&#8221;
In the suit, the groups claim that the permits were approved in violation of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the Endangered Species Act (ESA), and the Federal Land Policy and Management Act (FLPMA), along with the relevant federal regulations. The groups allege that the BLM failed to consult with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service, in violation of the ESA; failed &#8220;to consider or take action to prevent the unnecessary and undue degradation of public lands resulting from ongoing oil and gas permitting,&#8221; in violation of the FLPMA; failed &#8220;to take a hard look at cumulative [greenhouse gas] emissions and climate impacts&#8221; under the NEPA; and failed to &#8220;take a hard look at environmental justice&#8221; under NEPA, specifically as it relates to the &#8220;disproportionate and adverse effects from climate change&#8221; felt by communities in Wyoming, New Mexico, and nationwide.
The groups are seeking an injunction that would vacate the targeted leases. Those leases would amount to nearly all the leases approved in those two states since Joe Biden took office. According to data from the <a href="https://reports.blm.gov/report/AFMSS/81/Approved-APDs-Report-Federal">BLM website</a>, more than 3,800 permits were approved in Wyoming and New Mexico between January 21, 2021, and May 31, 2022. Those leases also constitute a large share of the permits issued nationwide in that time.
The suit comes even as the Biden administration itself continues to undermine new oil and gas leasing and drilling. In November, the Interior Department released a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/biden-admin-recommends-tighter-constraints-on-new-oil-and-gas-drilling-amid-energy-crisis">report</a> recommending BLM crack down on the lands available for new drilling leases, and imposing higher costs on oil companies. Then in May, the Department canceled a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/while-gas-hits-record-high-biden-administration-cancels-enormous-alaska-oil-and-gas-lease-sale">massive lease sale</a> of more than 1 million acres in the Cook Inlet and Alaska, and two other leases in the Gulf of Mexico. Separately, a group of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/unacceptable-cruz-gop-senators-demand-end-to-oil-and-gas-lease-permit-delays">Republican Senators</a>, led by Texas Senator Ted Cruz, sent a letter to the Department of Commerce demanding the National Marine Fisheries Service put an end to delays in advancing new permits.

Plunging Energy Prices Put Strain On Texas Economy

Amid Continuing Energy Crisis, Environmentalist Groups Sue Biden Admin To Block More Than 3,500 Oil And Gas Permits

Environmentalist Groups Sue Biden Admin To Block More Than 3,500 Oil And Gas Permits

Environmentalism

Lawsuit

Oil and Gas

The Biden administration announced Tuesday that it approved the Vineyard Wind project, a mega clean energy development and “the first large-scale, offshore wind project in the United States,” according to the <a href="https://www.doi.gov/pressreleases/biden-harris-administration-approves-first-major-offshore-wind-project-us-waters">U.S. Department of the Interior</a> (DOI), a decision that received backlash from the fishing industry.
“Today’s offshore wind project announcement demonstrates that we can fight the climate crisis, while creating high-paying jobs and strengthening our competitiveness at home and abroad,” said Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo. “This project is an example of the investments we need to achieve the Biden-Harris administration’s ambitious climate goals, and I’m proud to be part of the team leading the charge on offshore wind.”
The Department of the Interior <a href="https://www.doi.gov/pressreleases/biden-harris-administration-approves-first-major-offshore-wind-project-us-waters">announced</a>:
<blockquote>
Today’s <a href="https://www.boem.gov/vineyard-wind">Record of Decision</a> (ROD) grants Vineyard Wind final federal approval to install 84 or fewer turbines off Massachusetts as part of an 800-megawatt offshore wind energy facility. The project is expected to create 3,600 area jobs and will power up to 400,000 homes. Turbines will be installed in an east-west orientation, and all the turbines will have a minimum spacing of 1 nautical mile between them in the north-south and east-west directions, consistent with the U.S. Coast Guard recommendations in the Final Massachusetts and Rhode Island Port Access Route Study.
The ROD adopts mitigation measures to help avoid, minimize, reduce, or eliminate adverse environmental effects that could result from the construction and operation of the proposed project. These mitigation, monitoring, and reporting requirements were developed through input, consultation, and coordination with stakeholders, Tribes, and federal and state agencies.
</blockquote>
“A clean energy future is within our grasp in the United States. The approval of this project is an important step toward advancing the Administration&#8217;s goals to create good-paying union jobs while combatting climate change and powering our nation,” said Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland. “Today is one of many actions we are determined to take to open the doors of economic opportunity to more Americans.”
Some members of the American workforce are unhappy with the approval. National Fisherman <a href="https://www.nationalfisherman.com/northeast/biden-administration-clears-way-for-vineyard-wind">reported</a> that some advocates of the fishing industry are concerned that the decision to approve such a project “sets the stage for privatizing the public resource on which their livelihoods rely.” They also pushed back on the lack of consideration of their proposals in the decision, which included concerns over fishermen safety. 
The Responsible Offshore Development Alliance (RODA), a membership-based group of fishing industry associations and fishing companies, said in a <a href="https://rodafisheries.org/press-release-05-11/">statement</a> that it “condemns in the strongest possible terms the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management’s (BOEM) issuance of a <a href="https://www.boem.gov/sites/default/files/documents/renewable-energy/state-activities/Final-Record-of-Decision-Vineyard-Wind-1.pdf">Record of Decision</a> for the previously terminated Vineyard Wind 1 Offshore Wind Energy Project.[The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management] continues to abdicate its responsibility to the public and leave all decision making to large, multinational corporations, including this decision which includes effectively no mitigation measures to offset impacts to critical ocean ecosystems and commercial fisheries.&#8221;
The group continued, &#8220;To the best of our knowledge BOEM did not even consider any mitigation measures recommended by RODA or any fisheries professionals, scientists, or natural resource managers, despite having clearly defined requests available to them.
“In one pen stroke, BOEM has confirmed its scattershot, partisan, and opaque approach that undermines every lesson we’ve learned throughout environmental history: the precautionary principle, the importance of safety and environmental regulation, the scientific method and use of the best available data, and adaptive management policies.”
National Fisherman reported that one of the main points of concern for fishermen was the spacing for vessel transit lanes. Commercial fishermen, alongside the Responsible Offshore Development Alliance, had pushed for 4-nm-wide transit lanes, which they said would create a safer environment.
The outlet reported, &#8220;In its decision document, BOEM reasons that 1-nm spacing will be sufficiently safe, while dedicated transit lanes could increase congestion and potentially collisions by funneling vessel traffic.&#8221;
Using advice from the Coast Guard, agency personnel said that the “uniform grid pattern will result in the functional equivalent of numerous navigation corridors that can safely accommodate both transits through, and fishing within, the WEA (wind energy area) and provide the USCG with adequate SAR (search and rescue) access.”
The Responsible Offshore Development Alliance pushed back on the move, saying that traffic lanes were not the only suggestion by the fishing industry that was not included in the decision.
“For the past decade, fishermen have participated in offshore wind meetings whenever they were asked and produced reasonable requests only to be met with silence,” said Anne Hawkins, executive director of RODA. “From this silence now emerges unilateral action and a clear indication that those in authority care more about multinational businesses and energy politics than our environment, domestic food sources, or U.S. citizens.”

Iconic New England Lobster Caught In Global Tariff Tit-For-Tat

Fishing Industry Pushes Back On Biden Admin Mega Wind Project

Bald eagles have grown their ranks in recent years, recovering from low numbers and increasing their population to over 300,000 in the lower 48 states of the United States, according to a <a href="https://www.fws.gov/migratorybirds/pdf/management/bald-eagle-population-size-2020.pdf">report</a> released on Wednesday.
The United States Fish and Wildlife Service &#8220;estimated 316,700 bald eagles were present in the four EMUs in the 2019 breeding season, 4.4 times more eagles than in 2009.&#8221; In 2007, the birds were removed from the <a href="https://www.fws.gov/midwest/eagle/history/index.html">list</a> of Threatened and Endangered species after being at risk of extinction forty years ago.
The eagles had almost entirely disappeared from the nation years ago, but they are now spotted often, especially in the northern regions of the Midwest. &#8220;Bald and golden eagles are protected under the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act and the Migratory Bird Treaty Act,&#8221; according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service&#8217;s <a href="https://www.fws.gov/midwest/eagle/">website</a>.
<a href="https://apnews.com/article/bald-eagle-population-soars-united-states-70982fdda4b8f12ce7736ea5df0b9122">The Associated Press</a> reports that Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, in her first public event since being sworn in last week, said, “The strong return of this treasured bird reminds us of our nation’s shared resilience and the importance of being responsible stewards of our lands and waters that bind us together.&#8221;
“It is clear that the bald eagle population continues to thrive,” Haaland said, calling the bird’s revival a “success story” that “is a testament to the enduring importance of the work of the Interior Department scientists and conservationists. This work could not have been done without teams of people collecting and analyzing decades’ worth of science &#8230; accurately estimating the bald eagle population here in the United States.”
She said that it “is also a moment to reflect on the importance of the Endangered Species Act, a vital tool in the efforts to protect America’s wildlife &#8230;&#8221; Haaland noted that her team will look into moves made by the previous administration “to undermine key provisions” of the endangered species law, the <a href="https://apnews.com/article/bald-eagle-population-soars-united-states-70982fdda4b8f12ce7736ea5df0b9122">AP</a> notes, although she did not point to any specific actions.
“We will be taking a closer look at all of those revisions and considering what steps to take to ensure that all of us — states, Indian tribes, private landowners and federal agencies — have the tools we need to conserve America’s natural heritage and strengthen our economy,” Haaland said.
“We have an obligation to do so because future generations must also experience our beautiful outdoors, the way many of us have been blessed,” she added.
Martha Williams is the deputy director of the Fish and Wildlife Service. Williams named the recovery of the bird “one of the most remarkable conservation success stories of all time” and said she hopes all Americans get the opportunity to see one of them flying, adding,“They’re magnificent to see &#8230;”
Haaland was sworn in last week and is the country&#8217;s first Native American Cabinet Secretary, but her confirmation was met with some disapproval from Republicans.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/senate-confirms-americas-first-native-american-cabinet-secretary">The Daily Wire</a> reports, &#8220;Several Republicans have described Haaland’s personal views as &#8216;radical,&#8217; citing her support for the Green New Deal and opposition to resource development and fossil fuel extraction on public lands. During her two-day confirmation hearing in February, GOP leaders questioned Haaland on her environmental stances, which they said would negatively impact some states and could leave workers currently employed by extraction industries without jobs.&#8221;
Secretary Haaland took over the U.S. Department of the Interior, which, according to its <a href="https://www.doi.gov/whatwedo">website,</a> &#8220;uses sound science to manage and sustain America’s lands, water, wildlife, and energy resources, honors our nation’s responsibilities to tribal nations, and advocates for America’s island communities.&#8221;

Alaska Photography

Bald Eagles Are Making A Comeback: Report

The Senate approved Deb Haaland to lead the U.S. Department of Interior on Monday, sealing President Joe Biden’s campaign <a href="https://joebiden.com/tribalnations/">pledge</a> to “ensure tribes have a seat at the table at the highest levels of the federal government.”
Haaland, a Democrat from New Mexico, was confirmed by a 51 to 40 tally, becoming the nation’s first Native American Cabinet secretary.
“My life experiences give me hope for the future,” Haaland <a href="https://twitter.com/DebHaalandNM/status/1367506370061213697">tweeted</a> on March 4 after the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee advanced her nomination. “If an Indigenous woman from humble beginnings can be confirmed as Secretary of the @Interior, our country and its promise still holds true for everyone.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
My life experiences give me hope for the future. If an Indigenous woman from humble beginnings can be confirmed as Secretary of the <a href="https://twitter.com/Interior?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Interior</a>, our country and its promise still holds true for everyone.
&mdash; Deb Haaland (@DebHaalandNM) <a href="https://twitter.com/DebHaalandNM/status/1367506370061213697?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 4, 2021</a></blockquote>
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Four Republicans joined all of the Democrats in voting for her historic confirmation. Senator Susan Collins from Maine was reportedly the first to publicly announce support for Haaland, <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2021/03/03/politics/susan-collins-deb-haaland-interior/index.html">referencing</a> her “deep knowledge of tribal issues.” Sens. Lisa Murkowski (AK), Lindsey Graham (SC), and Dan Sullivan (AK) also voted in support.
Haaland, 60, is an enrolled member of the Pueblo of Laguna, a federally recognized tribe in the west-central part of her home state, near Albuquerque. A 35th generation resident of New Mexico, Haaland <a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-politics-new-mexico-native-americans-a6d9163cd9dea2cce1a390f7ca15b067">said</a> &#8220;growing up in my mother’s Pueblo household made me fierce.” During her testimony before senators, Haaland described her history of being a single mother who sometimes lived paycheck to paycheck and relied on food stamps.
She <a href="https://haaland.house.gov/media/in-the-news/be-fierce">joined</a> environmental activists and members of other tribes that came together at the Standing Rock Sioux camps in 2016 to protest the Dakota Access Pipeline. In 2018, Haaland became one of the first two Native American women elected to Congress. She was re-elected for a second term in November.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Thank you to the U.S. Senate for your confirmation vote today. As Secretary of <a href="https://twitter.com/Interior?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Interior</a>, I look forward to collaborating with all of you. I am ready to serve. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BeFierce?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BeFierce</a>
&mdash; Deb Haaland (@DebHaalandNM) <a href="https://twitter.com/DebHaalandNM/status/1371589252794830848?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 15, 2021</a></blockquote>
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Haaland takes over an Interior Department that, <a href="https://www.doi.gov/whatwedo">according</a> to its website, &#8220;conserves and manages America’s lands, water, wildlife, and energy resources, honors our nation’s responsibilities to tribal nations, and advocates for America’s island communities.”
She has <a href="https://twitter.com/DebHaalandNM/status/1364263501825384449">promised</a> to listen and work with both Democrats and Republicans, “honor the sovereignty of Tribal nations,” and “be a fierce advocate for our public lands.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
✅ I will ensure that the Interior Department’s decisions are based on science. ✅ I will honor the sovereignty of Tribal nations and recognize their part in America’s story. ✅ And I will be a fierce advocate for our public lands.
&mdash; Deb Haaland (@DebHaalandNM) <a href="https://twitter.com/DebHaalandNM/status/1364630880916938752?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 24, 2021</a></blockquote>
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As The New York Times <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/20/climate/native-american-interior-secretary.html">reported</a>, Haaland will be the first Native American to “oversee 500 million acres of public lands, including national parks, oil and gas drilling sites, and endangered species habitat, and control the federal agencies most responsible for the well-being of the nation’s 1.9 million Indigenous people.” According to the Associated Press, “the Interior Department has broad oversight over nearly 600 federally recognized tribes.”
The DOI employs approximately 70,000 people working in the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Bureau of Indian Education, Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Bureau of Reclamation, Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement, National Park Service, Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the U.S. Geological Survey.
Biden has <a href="https://twitter.com/JoeBiden/status/1339745949237665792">promoted</a> Haaland as a component of an incoming administration that would “confront the climate crisis, protect our air and water, and deliver justice to communities that have long shouldered the burdens of environmental harms.”
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I’m ready to build back better. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Inauguration2021?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Inauguration2021</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/InaugurationDay?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#InaugurationDay</a> <a href="https://t.co/WYv5npbpnM">pic.twitter.com/WYv5npbpnM</a>
&mdash; Deb Haaland (@DebHaalandNM) <a href="https://twitter.com/DebHaalandNM/status/1351914659444518917?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 20, 2021</a></blockquote>
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Several Republicans have <a href="https://www.latimes.com/politics/story/2021-02-23/interior-nominee-deb-haaland-energy-climate">described</a> Haaland’s personal views as “radical,” citing her support for the Green New Deal and opposition to resource development and fossil fuel extraction on public lands. During her two-day confirmation hearing in February, GOP leaders questioned Haaland on her environmental stances, which they said would negatively impact some states and could leave workers currently employed by extraction industries without jobs.
Sen. Murkowski, who voted to approve Haaland, had previously <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2021/02/23/deb-haaland-interior-secretary-hearing/">said</a>, “there is a definite threat to the resource industry that our state is blessed to be able to host.”
Haaland acknowledged the “transition” away from fossil fuels like oil and natural gas “is not going to happen overnight” as federal policy shifts toward Biden’s long-term goal of net-zero carbon emissions. She vowed to “strike the right balance” if confirmed.
“It is President Biden’s agenda, not my own agenda, that I will be moving forward,” Haaland said.
Republican Senator John Barrasso of Wyoming <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2021/02/23/deb-haaland-interior-secretary-hearing/">accused</a> the Biden administration of undermining America’s energy production, saying “the president is taking a sledgehammer to Western states’ economies.”
As The New York Times <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/02/climate/biden-interior-department-haaland.html">reported</a>:
<blockquote>Mr. Biden’s Interior Department will ultimately be defined by its reversals on fossil fuels after four years in which the Trump administration aggressively pursued energy production on public lands.
At Ms. Haaland’s confirmation hearing Senator John Barrasso, Republican of Wyoming, noted that she has advocated for keeping fossil fuels “in the ground.” He pressed her on where oil and gas workers in his state and others that depend on drilling will work if Mr. Biden’s drilling pause becomes permanent.
Ms. Haaland sought to reassure Republicans that she would enact Mr. Biden’s policies of pausing future fracking, not banning it. In fact, Mr. Biden’s position is not far from Ms. Haaland’s. He campaigned on <a href="https://joebiden.com/climate-plan/">a promise</a> of “banning new oil and gas permitting on public lands and waters,” and it remains unclear for now whether the Biden administration will move forward with a permanent moratorium.</blockquote>
Sen. Steve Daines, a Republican from Montana, issued a <a href="https://twitter.com/SteveDaines/status/1364663641891553288">statement</a> following Haaland’s hearing that claimed she “will be unable to separate from her progressive agenda,” criticizing her “hostile record towards energy, natural resources and sportsmen.”
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This week&#39;s hearing confirmed what I feared from Rep. Haaland’s record and our one-on-one conversation—she’s a hardline ideologue with radical views out of touch with Montana and the West.
Full statement on why I&#39;m opposing <a href="https://twitter.com/JoeBiden?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JoeBiden</a>&#39;s <a href="https://twitter.com/Interior?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Interior</a> Secretary nominee here: <a href="https://t.co/AABXvxe8wZ">pic.twitter.com/AABXvxe8wZ</a>
&mdash; Steve Daines (@SteveDaines) <a href="https://twitter.com/SteveDaines/status/1364663641891553288?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 24, 2021</a></blockquote>
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“Her record speaks for itself,” <a href="https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/watch-live-interior-nominee-deb-haaland-testifies-before-the-senate">said</a> Sen. Daines. “She’s a die-hard, far-left ideologue.”
<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/02/climate/biden-interior-department-haaland.html">According</a> to the NY Times, Biden has already appointed almost 50 DOI officials before Haaland’s confirmation, many of whom were part of the Obama administration. The outlet notes, “the department has suspended lease sales in the Gulf of Mexico under an early <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/27/climate/biden-climate-executive-orders.html">executive order</a> imposing a temporary freeze on new drilling leases on all public lands and waters…frozen drilling activity in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuse…delayed Trump-era rollback on protections of <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/05/climate/trump-migratory-bird-protections.html">migratory birds</a> and the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/13/climate/trump-spotted-owl.html">northern spotted owl</a>, and taken the first steps in restoring two national monuments in Utah and one off the Atlantic coast that Mr. Trump largely <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/02/climate/bears-ears-national-monument.html">dismantled</a>.”
Some Biden advisors had expressed concerns that Haaland lacks policy experience. However, her supporters, such as House Natural Resources Chair Raúl Grijalva (D-AZ), <a href="https://www.politico.com/newsletters/morning-energy/2020/12/10/grijalva-defends-haaland-for-interior-792183?cid=su_tw_me">dismissed</a> those suggestions as coming from “insiders who rotate in and out of Democratic administrations.”
“The Department of Interior was essentially set up not to take care of Indigenous people – it was set up to tear them down and disenfranchise them,” Congressman Grijalva (D-AZ) has previously <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/20/climate/native-american-interior-secretary.html">said</a>. “To come full circle, historically, and to put an Indigenous person in front of Interior who can do the job – you don’t often get that kind of opportunity to make history.”
The Washington Post had identified another Native American, Michael L. Connor, as a potential nominee for the job. He had served as deputy Interior secretary in the Obama administration. Connor’s maternal grandfather was a <a href="https://www.wilmerhale.com/en/insights/news/2017-09-05-michael-l-connor-former-interior-department-deputy-secretary-joins-wilmerhale">member</a> of Taos Pueblos, but he is not an enrolled member of the tribe.
Tom Udall, a Democrat who recently retired as a New Mexico senator, was also considered a contender. His father, Stewart, was Interior secretary in the 1960s, and the longtime congressman had experience working with Biden.
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.<a href="https://twitter.com/sunrisemvmt?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@sunrisemvmt</a> joins other progressive groups in calling for Sen. Udall to support Rep. Haaland as the next secretary of the Interior Dept. 
Udall and Haaland are both on Biden&#39;s shortlist for the post. <a href="https://t.co/Rj2Am4ZMCS">pic.twitter.com/Rj2Am4ZMCS</a>
&mdash; Chris D&#39;Angelo (@c_m_dangelo) <a href="https://twitter.com/c_m_dangelo/status/1337201828279316480?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 11, 2020</a></blockquote>
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Progressive activist groups had <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2020/12/14/energy-202-campaign-heats-up-biden-pick-native-american-his-cabinet/">asked</a> Udall, who is white, to remove his name for consideration.
Haaland’s nomination was <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2020/12/14/energy-202-campaign-heats-up-biden-pick-native-american-his-cabinet/">pushed</a> by liberal members of Congress, civil rights organizations, climate activists, tribal leaders, and Hollywood celebrities. Several women working in the industry signed a letter in December asking Mr. Biden and Kamala Harris to choose Haaland for the Cabinet position.
“We believe it is critical at this time for the first Native American to serve in the President’s Cabinet, so we can begin to shift the focus back to caring for future generations and returning to the value system that honors Mother Earth,” the letter reads. “Rep. Haaland will be a strong steward of our precious natural resources and will return to the practice of science-based decision-making.”
The endorsement was <a href="https://variety.com/2020/politics/news/kerry-washington-cher-deb-haaland-interior-secretary-1234850645/">reportedly</a> signed by international pop icon Cher, actress Jane Fonda, and comedienne Chelsea Handler, among others.
Haaland has <a href="https://www.latimes.com/politics/story/2021-02-23/interior-nominee-deb-haaland-energy-climate">said</a> she hoped her nomination would inspire Americans “moving forward together as one nation and creating opportunities for all of us.”
Her mother served in the U.S. Navy and worked for the Bureau of Indian Education for more than two decades. Haaland’s father was a U.S. Marine Corps combat veteran who fought in Vietnam. He is buried at Arlington National Cemetery.

House Dems

Senate Confirms America’s First Native American Cabinet Secretary

On Thursday, Joe Biden followed through with his campaign <a href="https://joebiden.com/tribalnations/">promise</a> to “ensure tribes have a seat at the table at the highest levels of the federal government,” nominating first-term Rep. Deb Haaland (D-N.M.) as his Interior Secretary.
If confirmed by the Senate, Haaland would become the first Native American appointed to a presidential cabinet position.
“A voice like mine has never been a Cabinet secretary or at the head of the Department of Interior,” Rep. Haaland tweeted on Thursday. “Growing up in my mother’s Pueblo household made me fierce. I’ll be fierce for all of us, our planet, and all of our protected land. I am honored and ready to serve.”
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A voice like mine has never been a Cabinet secretary or at the head of the Department of Interior.
Growing up in my mother’s Pueblo household made me fierce. I’ll be fierce for all of us, our planet, and all of our protected land.
I am honored and ready to serve.
&mdash; Deb Haaland (@DebHaalandNM) <a href="https://twitter.com/DebHaalandNM/status/1339722046373130241?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 18, 2020</a></blockquote>
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Haaland, 60, is an enrolled member of the Pueblo of Laguna, a federally recognized tribe in west-central New Mexico, near Albuquerque. She <a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-politics-new-mexico-native-americans-a6d9163cd9dea2cce1a390f7ca15b067">says</a> she’s a 35th-generation resident of the state.
The Associated Press <a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-politics-new-mexico-native-americans-a6d9163cd9dea2cce1a390f7ca15b067">reports</a>:
<blockquote>Her selection breaks a 245-year record of non-Native officials, mostly male, serving as the top federal official over American Indian affairs. The federal government often worked to dispossess Native Americans of their land and, until recently, to assimilate them into white culture.</blockquote>
“You’ve got to understand – you’re taking Interior full circle,” <a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-politics-new-mexico-native-americans-a6d9163cd9dea2cce1a390f7ca15b067">said</a> Arizona Rep. Raul Grijalva (D), who had endorsed Halaand’s nomination. “For years, its legacy was the disenfranchisement of the Native people of this country, of displacement, of cultural genocide.”
The push to nominate Haaland was fueled by tribal leaders, climate activists, and liberal members of Congress.
Biden <a href="https://twitter.com/JoeBiden/status/1339745949237665792">promoted</a> Haaland as a component of an incoming team that will “confront the climate crisis, protect our air and water, and deliver justice to communities that have long shouldered the burdens of environmental harms.”
Several Hollywood celebrities had penned a letter to Biden and Kamala Harris last week backing Haaland “so we can begin to shift the focus back to caring for future generations and returning to the value system that honors Mother Earth,” they <a href="https://variety.com/2020/politics/news/kerry-washington-cher-deb-haaland-interior-secretary-1234850645/">wrote</a>.
“After four years of fossil fuel executives and lobbyists opening up Native lands and sacred sites to industry tycoons, the next secretary of Interior will be a Laguna Pueblo woman who went to Standing Rock in 2016 and cooked for the people,” Julian Brave Noisecat, a Native American activist, tweeted on Thursday. “She’s going to make our ancestors so proud.”
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She&#39;s going to make our ancestors so proud. I&#39;m on the floor of my apartment crying with joy.
&mdash; Julian Brave NoiseCat (@jnoisecat) <a href="https://twitter.com/jnoisecat/status/1339654139098378240?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 17, 2020</a></blockquote>
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As the Los Angeles Times <a href="https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2020-12-17/biden-nominates-deb-haaland-to-interior-naming-first-native-american-cabinet-secretary">reports</a>:
<blockquote>If confirmed by the Senate, Haaland will take over a department mired in controversy over the Trump administration’s campaign to open up sensitive land and offshore areas to oil and gas development. She will also be responsible for implementing Biden’s promise to end oil and gas leasing on land controlled by the federal government – a move certain to face backlash from oil-dependent states, including her own, and lawsuits from the fossil fuel industry.
Because most drilling in the United States takes place on private land, it’s unlikely that this push would affect major oil and gas states like Pennsylvania and Texas. But it would have a significant impact on New Mexico, where one of the country’s largest oil booms on federal land has brought jobs and tax revenue to one of its poorest states. The state is expected to ask for a waiver exempting it from a drilling ban.
She will also oversee plans to restore the Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments in Utah to their original size, before President Trump greatly reduced them, and to reinstate protections against oil and gas extraction, mining and logging. And she will be in charge of the incoming administration’s efforts to prevent oil and gas leasing in Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, which the Trump administration is racing to carry out before the inauguration Jan. 20.</blockquote>
Michael L. Connor, a Native American who served as deputy Interior secretary in the Obama administration, was also mentioned as a potential nominee.
Sen. Tom Udall (D-N.M.), who is white, was also considered a strong candidate. However, several progressive groups <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2020/12/14/energy-202-campaign-heats-up-biden-pick-native-american-his-cabinet/">asked</a> him to remove his name from consideration. On Thursday, he <a href="https://twitter.com/SenatorTomUdall/status/1339662286525493249">called</a> Haaland’s nomination “a watershed moment for Native communities, and for our nation.” In a statement, Udall <a href="https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2020-12-17/biden-nominates-deb-haaland-to-interior-naming-first-native-american-cabinet-secretary">said</a> Haaland would “undo the damage of the Trump administration.”
According to the AP, Biden plans to introduce Haaland at an event on Saturday.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/hollywood-celebs-tribal-leaders-and-progressives-urge-joe-biden-to-appoint-a-native-american-as-us-interior-secretary">Related: Hollywood Celebs, Tribal Leaders, and Progressives Urge Joe Biden To Appoint A Native American As U.S. Interior Secretary</a>

Rep. Deb Haaland (D-N.M.)

Biden Nominates First Native American To Head U.S. Interior Department

Joe Biden

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