Deb Haaland Confirmed as Secretary of the Department of the Interior
On March 15, 2021 Deb Halaand was confirmed by the United States Senate as the 54th Secretary of the Department of the Interior
Here’s why that matters:
The United States Department of Interior (DOI) is responsible for management and conservation of most federal lands and Deb Haaland has a trackrecord of taking action for environmental protection. Haaland’s appointment as Interior Secretary is a hopeful sign of progress for the well-being of the planet and simply good news for people who enjoy recreating outdoors.
Here’s more about what the Department of Interior does:
According to their website, the vision of the Department of Interior is to:
Promote energy security and critical minerals development.
Increase access to outdoor recreation opportunities for all Americans.
Enhance conservation stewardship.
Improve management of species and their habitats.
Uphold trust and related responsibilities (relating to relationships with Native Americans and insular areas).
Here’s why we are excited about Deb Haaland’s confirmation:
Deb Haaland is the first Native American to hold this position and has historically taken strong action for environmental protection. According to Earthjustice, her efforts include:
Leading the 30 by 30 resolution, a plan to protect 30% of land and water in the United States by 2030.
Introducing the ANTIQUITIES Act, which stands for “America’s Natural Treasures of Immeasurable Quality Unite, Inspire, and Together Improve the Economies of States,” and clarifies that Congress must officially declare any national monuments, re-expands Bears Ears to 1.9 million acres and designates 250,000 acres in New Mexico as federally protected. a bill that would greatly expand National Monuments of great ecological and cultural value. Haaland remarked in an official statement “As my first piece of legislation this bill expands on my efforts to fight climate change by protecting land from extraction, honor our sacred sites, and ensure our beautiful places are here for future generations. Our public lands are not for sale.”
Opposing fossil fuel industry interests, and has taken “bold position to meaningfully limit all forms of oil and gas drilling on public lands.” Most climate activists agree that a move away from fossil fuels in necessary for protecting our planet.
In an official statement Haaland said: “I am proud and humbled to lead the dedicated team at Interior as we seek to leave a livable planet for future generations. Together, we will work to advance President Biden’s vision to honor our nation-to-nation relationship with Tribes, address the climate and nature crises, advance environmental justice, and build a clean energy future that creates good-paying jobs and powers our nation.
