Common ground
As secretar y of the Interior, U.S. Rep. Deb Haaland, D-N.M., would restore balance to the vital federal department and forward-thinking management of public lands.
Her confirmation would reverse the erosion of transparency and integrity under Secretary David Bernhardt, and Ryan Zinke before him. It would achieve an impor tant milestone: Haaland would be the first Native American to oversee the depar tment, which includes the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
Though Haaland’s detractors call her radical, her congressional record is one of bipartisan cooperation. Her willingness to listen and search for consensus was evident in her measured responses to pointed questions and thinly disguised skepticism from some members of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee last week.
Interior is massive and complex, with 70,000 employees and a $21 billion budget. Its bureaus bridge the tricky intersections of conser vation, recreation and commercial use of some of the countr y’s most precious natural resources.
Its reach encompasses nearly a fifth of the U.S. land area. It manages more than 500 national parks and national monuments, and hundreds of wildlife refuges. It is responsible for nearly 500 dams and more than 300 reser voirs, and for protecting endangered species, running the Geological Sur vey and reclaiming thousands of abandoned mines.
Haaland’s critics have, for the most part, zeroed in on a small but critical aspect of Interior’s responsibility: Leases for oil, gas and coal production. National lands produce nearly 20% of the nation’s energy, including 43% of its coal.
Here, too, Haaland consistently committed to talking through issues and consulting with scientists and other experts in advancing President Joe Biden’s agenda, which is a sharp departure from the previous president’s.
Rather than kick and buck against Haaland’s nomination, senators should embrace the opportunity to be part of a steady transition to cleaner energy and nuanced, responsible management of the people’s resources and public lands.