For Immediate Release, December 17, 2020
Contact:
Jennifer K. Falcon, Indigenous Environmental Network, (218) 760-9958, jennifer@ienearth.org
Jean Su, Center for Biological Diversity, (415) 770-3187, jsu@biologicaldiversity.org
Leading Progressive Groups Launch Public Pressure Campaign for Biden to Address Fossil Fuel Pollution, Climate Crisis
WASHINGTON Organizations representing millions of environmental, racial and economic justice advocates across the country launched a new campaign today to hold President-elect Joe Biden accountable on his promises for bold climate action. The
Build Back Fossil Free campaign includes 25 crucial executive actions Biden must take the moment he enters office to prevent climate chaos, end fossil fuel racism and improve well-being for millions of people.
Rep. Deb Haaland would be the country s first Native American Cabinet secretary. She opposed many Trump environmental rollbacks on public lands and considers climate change the challenge of our lifetime.
In a historic first, President-elect Joe Biden is expected to tap Rep. Deb Haaland, a member of the Laguna Pueblo in New Mexico, to lead the Department of the Interior.
If confirmed by the Senate, Haaland would be the country s first Native American Cabinet secretary. Fittingly, she d do so as head of the agency responsible for not only managing the nation s public lands, but honoring its treaties with the Indigenous people those lands were taken from.
President-elect Joe Biden will nominate Rep. Deb Haaland to be secretary of the Interior. If confirmed, she will be the first Native American to serve in that position.
The Department of the Interior is home to the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Haaland, 59, D-N.M., is an enrolled citizen of the Pueblo of Laguna Native American tribe and serves on the House Natural Resources Committee. She was one of the first two Native American women elected to the United States Congress, the other being Rep. Sharice Davids, D-Kan.
Biden has vowed to appoint a diverse Cabinet, noting on several occasions that he wants his administration to look like the United States. Haaland s appointment is the latest example of that effort.
Updated at 9:37 p.m. ET
In a historic first, President-elect Joe Biden will nominate Rep. Deb Haaland to lead the Department of the Interior, his transition team announced Thursday evening.
If confirmed by the Senate, Haaland, a member of the Laguna Pueblo in New Mexico, would be the country s first Native American Cabinet secretary. Fittingly, she d do so as head of the agency responsible for not only managing the nation s public lands but also honoring its treaties with the Indigenous people from whom those lands were taken.
In a statement, the Biden-Harris transition team called Haaland a barrier-breaking public servant who has spent her career fighting for families, including in Tribal Nations, rural communities, and communities of color, who will be ready on day one to protect our environment and fight for a clean energy future.
Biden to select Deb Haaland as interior secretary, the first Native American to hold that position, if confirmed Rebecca Morin and Ledyard King, USA TODAY
Rep. Deb Haaland expected to become Interior Secretary, first Native American to hold seat
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President-elect Joe Biden will nominate Rep. Deb Haaland to be secretary of the Interior. If confirmed, she will be the first Native American to serve in that position.
The Department of the Interior is home to the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Haaland, 59, D-N.M., is an enrolled citizen of the Pueblo of Laguna Native American tribe and serves on the House Natural Resources Committee. She was one of the first two Native American women elected to the United States Congress, the other being Rep. Sharice Davids, D-Kan.