Historic U.S. Interior pick tests Senate support for Biden on climate
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[February 24, 2021]
By Valerie Volcovici and Nichola Groom
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Deb Haaland, the
first Native American ever picked for a U.S. cabinet post, pledged on
Tuesday to oversee the country's vast public lands and waters in line
with President Joe Biden's climate priorities, and was grilled by
Republican Senators who want an Interior Secretary more welcoming of oil
and gas drilling on federal lands.
If confirmed to lead the Department of the Interior, the Democratic
congresswoman from New Mexico would oversee more than 500 million acres
of federal and tribal lands, accounting for about a fifth of the
nation’s land surface, as well as offshore federal waters.
"It is President Biden's agenda, not my own agenda that I would be
moving forward," she said at the contentious confirmation hearing that
reflected deep divisions over some of Biden’s climate-focused executive
orders. These include a pause on new oil and gas leasing on federal
acreage, currently the source of around a quarter of U.S. production.
Republicans have been battling Biden's sweeping plan to combat global
warming and expand renewable energy sources like wind and solar power.
But most Democrats on the panel applauded Biden's focus on climate, a
U-turn from former President Donald Trump's policy. Trump emphasized
oil, gas and coal production on federal lands over the fight against
climate change.
Republicans on the Senate energy committee pressed Haaland on Biden's
pause on new federal drilling leases. They also challenged her past
statements against oil and gas production and her presence at the
protest against the Dakota Access pipeline led by the Standing Rock
Sioux tribe.
Louisiana Senator Bill Cassidy asked Haaland if she had a prejudice
against fossil fuels.
"Prejudice on fossil fuels perhaps isn't the way I would describe it,”
Haaland said. “I would say that President Biden is ... moving toward the
tremendous opportunities we have in diversifying our energy."
Haaland, a Laguna Pueblo tribal citizen, said her own economic struggles
as a single mother who relied on food stamps made her well attuned to
the job and economic security concerns raised by senators from energy
producing states. Republicans and some Democrats from those states are
concerned that drilling restrictions or other measures to curtail fossil
fuels development would cost them jobs and revenues.
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Rep. Deb Haaland, D-NM, looks on during a Senate Committee on Energy
and Natural Resources hearing on her nomination to be Interior
Secretary on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, U.S. February 23, 2021.
Graeme Jennings/Pool via REUTERS
She assured her critics that she recognizes that "fossil fuels will
continue to play a major role in America" and that revenues fund
critical services in states.
New Mexico Democratic Senator Martin Heinrich, who introduced
Haaland, said she has a track record of working across the aisle.
He called her “a true partner for states like ours as we diversify
our economy, invest in our communities and remain a global leader in
producing and exporting energy.”
She noted that the administration's temporary pause on new leasing
does not apply to drilling and other operations by existing lease
holders.
Republican Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski called Haaland's nomination
"very significant" but raised concerns about the impact of Biden's
executive orders on her state's resource-based economy. She said
Interior has an "outsized" influence over Alaska, 60% of which is
owned by the federal government.
Alaska Republican Congressman Don Young, who joined Heinrich in
introducing Haaland, said despite their disagreements over "carbon
fuels" she is able to listen and work across the aisle. He urged the
Senate to vote for her because "she will do a good job. She will
work for us."
Haaland pointed to the historic nature of her appointment both at
the Interior Department and in American history.
"If an Indigenous woman from humble beginnings can be confirmed as
Secretary of the Interior, our country holds promise for everyone,"
she said.
(Reporting by Valerie Volcovici; Editing by Aurora Ellis and David
Gregorio)
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