Biden pick for US Interior post seen potentially curbing fossil fuel development

President-elect Joe Biden will tap US Representative Deb Haaland, Democrat-New Mexico, to head the US Department of the Interior, in a move that could potentially curb fossil fuel development on federal lands, according to various media reports Dec. 17.

If confirmed by the US Senate, Haaland would be the first Native American in history to oversee the agency responsible for managing mineral leasing on a substantial portion of federal lands as well as species and habitat regulation, and national park operations. The Interior Department is also responsible for US government coordination with tribal governments, and Haaland's selection followed a public campaign by tribal leaders and environmentalists to chose a Native American.

Haaland could play an important role in advancing Biden's climate and environmental goals, potentially curbing fossil fuel development on federal lands. The former vice president has outlined plans to address climate change, including banning new oil and gas permitting on federal lands, modifying royalties and protecting the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, which the Trump administration opened to oil and natural gas drilling in mid-August.

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While speaking at a conference in November, Haaland said there are too many extractive industries operating on federal lands and that leasing practices should be changed to encourage more clean energy activity.

Asked about the Trump administration policy of "energy dominance" extending to federal lands by making it easier to obtain leases for fossil fuel development, Haaland said leasing practices need to change.

"We need to make sure we're promoting and increasing clean energy leases," she said.

Uphill battle

The first-term progressive lawmaker could face an uphill confirmation battle should Republicans maintain control of the US Senate. Georgia will hold a runoff election in January for its two US Senate seats, which will determine party control of the upper chamber.

A GOP-led Senate would likely be less receptive to Biden's ambitious climate and clean energy proposals, making his cabinet nominees potentially all the more important in advancing such policies through regulatory actions.

Conservation groups praised Biden's pick Dec. 17.

"Congresswoman Deb Haaland is a force — an inspirational leader and advocate for climate action, conservation, and sovereign Tribal Nations," Tiernan Sittenfeld said in a statement. "She's well positioned to drive forward Biden's ambitious conservation agenda — including protecting 30 percent of our lands and waters by 2030 — and ensure we use all of our tools to fight climate change and share nature's benefits equitably with all communities." Sittenfeld is the senior vice president of government affairs for the League of Conservation Voters.

American Petroleum Institute President and CEO Mike Sommers said the oil and gas trade group will closely monitor Biden's administration to ensure it fulfills its promises to the energy workforce, namely in protecting jobs.

"We stand ready to work with the President-elect's nominees once confirmed to tackle the challenge of climate change by building on America's progress in delivering affordable and reliable energy while reducing greenhouse gas emissions to generational lows," Sommers said in a statement.

Haaland was elected to Congress in 2018 and was one of the first Native American women ever elected to the federal legislature. She was subsequently elevated to vice chair of the House Natural Resources Committee, a perch from which the Arizona native has been a player within the environmentalist wing of the House Democratic caucus.

She endorsed the Green New Deal resolution introduced by Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Democrat-New York, and opposed major decisions by the Trump administration to expand extractive development on lands managed by the Interior that were held sacred by tribal groups, including the Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments.

Michael Regan said picked for EPA

Biden is also expected to nominate Michael Regan, secretary of the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality, to lead the US Environmental Protection Agency, according to media reports.

Given the potential for a divided Congress in 2021, Regan could play a major role in implementing portions of Biden's ambitious climate plans through regulatory rulemakings and other actions.

Regan was tapped in 2017 to oversee the NCDEQ, charged with protecting the state's environment and natural resources, after more than 18 years working in the fields of environmental advocacy and regulation. He previously served as southeast regional director for the Environmental Defense Fund's work mitigating climate change and air quality pollution.

Regan also worked at EPA for nearly a decade, including on programs focused on air quality improvements, energy efficiency and climate change under the Clinton and Bush administrations. During that time, he spent time in the agency's Office of Air and Radiation, which is responsible for Clean Air Act rulemakings.

Such policies could prove pivotal in the Biden administration's effort to address greenhouse gas emissions from existing power plants and the US transportation sector, now the nation's largest source of climate pollution.

In leading the state agency, Regan played a role in reaching an agreement with a Duke Energy subsidiary and other government agencies on a final restoration plan after a 2014 coal ash spill at a retired North Carolina power plant. In 2018, the NCDEQ also issued a Clean Water Act Section 401 permit for the Dominion Energy-led Atlantic Coast natural gas pipeline, which the companies later canceled, in part due to legal and regulatory uncertainty.

Reportedly, both former EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy and Mary Nichols, the retiring chair of the California Air Resources Board, had also been top contenders for the post. Environmental justice advocates criticized Nichols in recent weeks, however, possibly costing her the nod.

The Biden transition team did not immediately respond to a request for confirmation.