Reuters-Deb Haaland was sworn in on Thursday (March 18) as Secretary of the Interior, becoming the first Native American to lead a cabinet agency and securing a central role in President Joe Biden's sweeping plans to fight climate change.
The U.S. Senate confirmed the New Mexico Democrat 51-40 on Monday after she clinched support from Republicans including South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham, Alaska Senators Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan and Maine Senator Susan Collins.
Haaland became one of the first two Native American women elected to Congress in 2018. Her ascension to the cabinet followed weeks of campaigning by Native American tribes and environmental groups in support of her historic appointment. She faced resistance from Republican lawmakers who grilled her at a two-day hearing last month about her involvement in pipeline protests, her support of the Green New Deal climate resolution, and the Biden administration's pause on new federal drilling leases.
Haaland will oversee polices guiding use of 500 million acres of federal and tribal land, a fifth of the nation's surface. A member of the Laguna Pueblo tribe, Haaland will also oversee the U.S. government's relationship with some 574 federally recognized tribal nations.
Even before her confirmation, the Interior Department has been moving swiftly to reverse deregulatory actions of the former Trump administration, such as rollbacks of the Migratory Bird Treaty.
Last week, Interior said it will launch its review of the federal oil and gas leasing program on March 25, helping determine whether the Biden administration will permanently halt new leases on federal land and water.
Ahead of her confirmation, Haaland pledged to "be fierce" for all Americans, vowing to advance policies to tackle greenhouse gas emissions; some 25% of emissions come from burning fuels extracted from public lands and waters.
She told Reuters in November she wants to speed up renewable energy projects, conserve 30% of public lands and waters by 2030 and protect more cultural and ecologically sensitive sites.
