The OC congratulates new Secretary of the Interior Haaland

[Laura Bies]

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The Ornithological Council wrote to the new Secretary of the Interior, Deb Haaland, congratulating her on her confirmation. In that letter, the OC also highlighted some priorities for the new administration, such as rescinding the previous administration's dangerous reinterpretation of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act and reviewing the grounding of the department’s fleet of unmanned arial vehicles, or drones. 

Haaland was a freshman Representative during the 116th Congress, representing New Mexico, and served on the Committee on Natural Resources. She is an enrolled member of the Pueblo of Laguna and is the first Native American Secretary of the Interior – and the first Native American cabinet member. 

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Statement from Deb Haaland on Becoming the 54th Interior Secretary

Tuesday, March 16, 2021 
Contact: Interior_Press@ios.doi.gov

WASHINGTON – Deb Haaland will take the oath of office to become the 54th Secretary of the Department of the Interior later today in a small ceremony with family. The oath of office will be administered by Chief of Staff Jennifer Van der Heide. Her first full day as Interior Secretary will be tomorrow. A ceremonial swearing-in with Vice President Kamala Harris will be announced later this week.

Haaland issued the following statement on this historic moment:

“At my confirmation hearing, I said that we all have a stake in the future of our country. No matter your political party or Zip code, your ancestral heritage or income level, we all must take the formidable challenges that lie ahead seriously, and we will take them head-on, together.

“I am proud and humbled to lead the dedicated team at Interior as we seek to leave a livable planet for future generations. Together, we will work to advance President Biden’s vision to honor our nation-to-nation relationship with Tribes, address the climate and nature crises, advance environmental justice, and build a clean energy future that creates good-paying jobs and powers our nation.

“The change we need will take hard work and perseverance, but I know that together there is nothing we cannot accomplish.”

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