Haaland confirmed as Secretary of Interior

ALBUQUERQUE — Rep. Deb Haaland was confirmed as the next secretary of the Department of the Interior on Monday, a vote praised by advocates for conservation and Native American issues.

Senators voted 51-40 to confirm Haaland, a New Mexico Democrat who will become the first Native American cabinet secretary in the country’s history.

She will be tasked with leading an agency critical to the Biden administration’s efforts to confront climate change.

“Rep. Haaland’s confirmation represents a gigantic step forward in creating a government that represents the full richness and diversity of this country,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-New York, said on the Senate floor Monday.

Haaland will soon be leading a federal agency with wide-ranging responsibilities on public lands throughout the country. The Interior Department approves oil and gas drilling and mining on federal lands, runs national parks and is involved in protecting wildlife and endangered species. That’s in addition to its authority in Indian County, which includes managing government relations with tribes, administering mineral right and managing the Bureau of Indian Education.

Julia Berna, the director of the Pueblo Action Alliance, said Haaland will bring hope to Native American tribes that they will have great input on policies affecting their lands.

“Deb Haaland will bring that worldview into land and water management practices that will work towards a just transition to a cleaner energy economy and more equitable approaches to better frontline and Indigenous communities who have suffered from the presence of the oil and gas industry,” she said.