As she prepares to leave the Biden administration, Interior Secretary Deb Haaland expressed confidence that the work the department has done to conserve land and promote renewable energy during her tenure will be durable.
“We have some pretty awesome attorneys here at the department,” she said “They really make sure that the work we’re doing is right, it’s done well and it’s durable.”
“The fact that we really have, on a lot of these conservation efforts, gotten the full support of the communities that we have done these in — that really is something I think that’s valuable,” she said.
The incoming Trump administration is expected to reverse or undercut many of the conservation efforts undertaken under President Biden, especially those to restrict fossil fuels production on federal lands and in federal waters.
Haaland expressed particular skepticism as to whether the incoming administration would be able to block wind energy projects — despite President-elect Trump’s growing hostility for the climate-friendly power source.
“Of course, they can always try. But I mean, there’s existing rights that people have,” Haaland said.
“Quite frankly, I don’t see … the offshore wind industry taking a step back at all. They have too much invested,” she added.
Asked what she will do when she leaves the Interior Department, she declined to give specifics. She did say, however, that she hopes to continue to fight for Native people and combat climate change.
“Before I came here, before I came to Congress … I was an advocate for missing and murdered Indigenous peoples. I was a climate activist,” she said.
“I worked hard on a lot of elections, every seat, every single cycle, to get the candidates who cared about my issues elected. So my guess is that I’m going to give support to organizations that that move those issues forward,” she added.
She also declined to comment on whether she will run for governor in her home state of New Mexico, saying that she could not speak about elections from her perch within the administration.
Haaland has led the Interior Department — which oversees energy production on federal lands and waters, conservation efforts, national parks and tribal affairs — since the start of the Biden administration.
Before Biden tapped her for the role, she represented New Mexico’s First District in Congress.
During her tenure at Interior, she oversaw efforts to limit the expansion of fossil fuel opportunities on federal lands and waters, including in ecologically sensitive parts of Alaska.
She also started a new unit in the department to investigate missing and murdered indigenous people and probed the historic deaths of Native children in federal boarding schools.
The Biden administration also designated a number of new national monuments during its four years.
Haaland presided over a number of contentious issues — from approving the controversial Willow drilling project to offering up a five-year plan with the fewest ever opportunities to drill offshore.
“We consistently tell people we’re relying on the science and the law,” she said when asked about those decisions.
“The Willow Project — there were a lot of people for it. Yes, there were a lot of people against it. But in the end, you have to look at every single factor that’s involved,” she said. “There were a lot of valid existing rights that … folks had had for 20 years and as a country, we can’t ignore that.”
Haaland is a member of the Pueblo of Laguna and her appointment made her the first-ever Indigenous cabinet secretary. She said this distinction “meant the world” to her.
“It meant the absolute world to me,” she said. “I have the president to thank he nominated me. He supported me in this role, and I’m very grateful that he did live up to his promise for his cabinet to look like America.”
“I came here standing on the shoulders of my ancestors and so many other Native leaders who came before me,” she added.
Asked if she had any regrets, she didn’t name a thing.
“I can’t regret the fact that we poured our hearts into the work for four years and accomplished a lot,” she said. “I’ll just say that I’m super proud of the work that we’ve all done.”
Haaland said she’s proudest of the fact that the administration “ushered in a new era for Indian country.”
“Indian Country has felt neglected and underfunded and … it was difficult for them to have a seat at the table and now they really have had a real seat at the table this term,” she said.
