The US Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee favorably reported President Joe Biden's nominee to lead the US Department of the Interior out of committee with an 11-9 vote.
While it is unclear when the entire Senate will vote on US Representative Deb Haaland's nomination, the committee's historic March 4 vote brought the Democratic congresswoman from New Mexico one step closer to becoming the first Native American to lead the agency.
If confirmed as secretary of the Interior, Haaland would oversee the agency responsible for managing energy and mineral leasing on a substantial portion of federal lands and waters, coordinating with tribal governments, and implementing species and habitat regulation.
During her two-day hearing, the progressive congresswoman said that the US will continue to rely on fossil fuels for years to come even as it shifts toward clean energy. Such a sentiment ultimately helped her win over Committee Chairman Joe Manchin, Democratic Senator of West Virginia, a moderate lawmaker who holds considerable power in the evenly divided upper chamber.
"While I may not personally agree with some of her past statements and policy positions, as secretary she will be carrying out President Biden's agenda," Manchin said on March 4. "At her hearing, she confirmed that she and the administration recognize that our country will remain dependent on fossil fuels for years to come and a transition to a cleaner energy future must come through innovation, not elimination."
US Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, the committee's former chairman, was the only Republican to support reporting Haaland out of committee along with all 10 members of the Democratic caucus. While acknowledging her reservations about the nominee, Murkowski said she intends to work closely with Haaland, if she is confirmed, to ensure the Interior's policies do not hurt Alaska's economy, given the state's significant federal lands resources.
"I decided to support this nomination today to support the first Native American who will hold this position and with the expectation that Representative Haaland will be true to her word, not just on matters relating to native peoples but also responsible resource development and every other issue," Murkowski said.
During the February hearing, Republicans criticized Haaland for her support of the Green New Deal and her previous statements condemning fossil fuel development on federal lands. Despite Haaland's pledge to work in a bipartisan fashion and acknowledgment that she would need to serve the entire nation rather than one congressional district, she failed to gain traction with most of the Republican committee members.
"American jobs are being sacrificed in the name of the Biden agenda," the committee's ranking member, Republican Senator John Barrasso of Wyoming, said. "Representative Haaland's extreme policy views and lack of substantive answers during the hearing, to me, disqualify her for this job."
