4 reasons we’re fired up about Deb Haaland being the next Secretary of the Interior

Christmas has come early with the announcement that President-elect Biden has selected Deb Haaland, a New Mexico Congressperson, to be the next Secretary of the Interior. The Department of the Interior oversees more than 450 million acres of public land, including all our National Parks and BLM lands. It’s a profoundly important agency for the outdoor community, and we would be thrilled to have Haaland lead it. 

Here are four big reasons we are excited about this appointment:

Haaland will be the first Native American ever in a Cabinet post.

Haaland, a member of Pueblo of Laguna, is a historic choice to lead an agency that was once tasked with disenfranchising Indigenous communities. Haaland will be the first Native American to serve in this role and will be tasked with upholding the treaty rights of sovereign nations and lifting up first nations.

She’s a community organizer who understands how politics works.

Haaland has a background as an organizer and an advocate, and has been a champion for public lands in her role on the House Natural Resources Committee. Coming from New Mexico, an oil and gas state, she also understands the extractive industry and is thoughtful about balance and the public process.

Haaland is a powerful climate advocate.

Haaland introduced a resolution in the House  earlier this year to conserve 30% of America’s lands and waters by 2030. Given that fossil fuel production on federal lands is responsible for a quarter of U.S. carbon emissions, there is a huge role for Interior to play in addressing climate issues, and Haaland has been a leader in advocating for public lands being part of climate solutions. Protecting the climate also has positive implications for outdoor recreation.

Haaland’s nomination signals an opportunity to ensure more just and equal representation for tribes on public lands.

Public lands are Native lands, and having Haaland at the helm of the Department of Interior offers an overdue opportunity to address historic injustices against Native Americans. Haaland is known for her outspoken defense of Standing Rock’s opposition to the Dakota pipeline. As the leader of Interior, Haaland will have the chance to chart a new path forward for Interior’s role in working with Tribal Nations and Indigenous communities.

"As a New Mexican and first-generation American, I could not be prouder to see Representative Deb Haaland be nominated to lead the Department of Interior,” said Gabe Vasquez, city councilor in Las Cruces, New Mexico and Outdoor Alliance board member. “This is truly a momentous time in our country, in which the first Native American woman in history is being asked to lead a department that manages vast acres of public and Tribal lands and is tasked with upholding treaty rights and the sovereign rights of First Nations across the country. I look forward to seeing Representative Haaland lead with courage, justice, and equity, traits that have defined her life and time in Congress." 

Adam Cramer, Outdoor Alliance’s Executive Director, said “We’ve enjoyed working with Representative Haaland in her role on the House Natural Resources committee and can’t imagine a better choice to lead the Department of the Interior. Representative Haaland is both bold and compassionate in her work to address climate change, and we know that she will restore some much needed balance on public lands, especially when it comes to dialing up sustainable and equitable access to the outdoors for everyone.”

The Senate is expected to vote in late February on Haaland’s nomination, and your Senators need to hear from you now that you support her nomination. Read our full policy letter on Haaland’s nomination here.