Virginia Cramer, virginia.cramer@sierraclub.org
The U.S. Senate is gearing up for a confirmation hearing on President Biden’s pick for Interior Secretary, Rep. Deb Haaland. The Department of the Interior manages the country’s national parks and approximately 450 million acres of public lands, oversees wildlife and other conservation efforts, and upholds Federal trust responsibilities to Indigenous communities. Haaland would be the first Indigenous Interior Secretary. Her professional and lived experience and her clear-eyed view of the choices facing our public lands should win her confirmation.
With Haaland at the helm, public lands management could be vastly different not only from the previous administration, but from how the Department of the Interior has historically carried out its far-reaching charge. Her confirmation could bring two fundamental shifts in how public lands are used and managed, both to the country’s long-term benefit.
#1- Indigenous perspectives will receive greater recognition in land management. The Department of the Interior has a poor track record of Tribal consultation. Rep. Haaland however has a dedicated career building nation-to-nation relationships with Tribes and advocating for Indigenous rights. Given the Interior Department’s role in both upholding Federal trust responsibilities to Indigenous communities and in managing public lands, listening to and acting on Indigenous requests could have far-reaching implications for everything from access to co-management.
Haaland’s record:
-
Co-sponsored legislation to restore Bears Ears National Monument after Donald Trump illegally stripped the area of protection.
-
Introduced legislation to safeguard the people and cultural sites of Chaco Canyon from oil and gas drilling
-
Introduced legislation to secure traditional use access in the creation of a Cerra de la Olla Wilderness within the Rio Grande Del Norte National Monument.
-
Co-sponsored a bill to stop leasing in the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Haaland has been an outspoken supporter of the Gwich'in.
#2 - The value of public lands will no longer be based solely on what comes out of them, but on what they can store-- namely carbon. Haaland has long recognized the role of fossil fuel development on public lands in driving the climate crisis and has embraced the scientific consensus that lands and waters must be part of the climate solution. She recognizes the value of responsible renewable energy development on public lands. Conservation is back in the DOI mission statement (literally), as is new language about the role of public lands in addressing societal challenges. Haaland has shown a commitment to both. The role of public lands will be vastly different moving forward.
Haaland’s record:
-
Introduced a resolution to protect 30% of lands and waters by 2030 to fight climate change and stop extinction, now a national goal as outlined by Executive Order.
-
Co-sponsored a bill to fully fund the Land and Water Conservation Fund, an important tool for mitigating climate change, and the Great American Outdoors Act.
-
Supports pausing oil and gas leasing on public lands
-
Introduced legislation to make parks and monuments more welcoming by removing racist, anti-Indigenous and offensive names from public spaces.
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with more than 3.5 million members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.