Democratic Senator Joe Manchin, chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, said on Wednesday that he will vote for Rep. Deb Haaland of New Mexico to serve as secretary of the interior, paving the way for his likely approval as the first Native American to head a cabinet agency.
Manchin, a West Virginia moderate, was publicly undecided during two days of hearings on President Joe Biden’s nomination of Haaland. Manchin caused political upheaval last week by announcing plans to oppose Biden’s choice of budget director, Neera Tanden, a crucial defection that could sink his nomination in the equally divided Senate.
DEB HAALAND: WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT THE BIDEN SECRETARY OF INTERIOR INDICATED
In contrast, Manchin said Haaland won his vote, despite disagreements over drilling on federal land and the Keystone XL pipeline.
“I believe that Deb Haaland will be the secretary of the interior of each American and will vote to confirm it,” said Manchin in a statement. “Although we do not agree on all issues, she reaffirmed her strong commitment to bipartisanship, addressing the diverse needs of our country and maintaining our nation’s energy independence.”
Haaland’s colleagues in the House on both sides of the aisle, including Republican MP Don Young of Alaska, praised Haaland’s bipartisan achievements and “the sincere willingness to work collaboratively on important issues,” said Manchin.
Manchin also said he was pleased that Haaland, during this week’s hearings, stated that the Biden government is committed to continuing to use fossil fuels “for years to come, even as we transition to a cleaner energy future through innovation, not elimination “.
MEDIA PUNDITS CLAIM NEERA TANDEN RECEIVING SEXIST TREATMENT FROM MANCHIN As hopes of confirmation disappear
Manchin, a longtime advocate for the coal industry, leads a committee that is crucial to Biden’s efforts to address climate change, but expressed skepticism about some of the actions that advocates say are necessary to reduce GHG emissions. greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming. He emphasized the need to create clean energy jobs to replace jobs that are likely to be lost in the transition from coal, oil and natural gas.
Manchin’s announcement came as Republicans denounced Haaland, saying that his opposition to hydraulic fracturing, Keystone XL and other issues made him unable to serve in a role where he would oversee energy development across vast areas of federal land, particularly in the west, as well as offshore drilling in the Gulf of Mexico and Alaska.
Louisiana senator John Kennedy, a Republican who is not on the energy panel, called Haaland “a crazy left-wing neo-socialist”.
Although he wants to learn more about her, Kennedy added: “No impartial person believes that we can drive the greatest economy in the entire history of mankind … without oil and gas. And she seems to think we can. And I think she is living on earth. of la-la. And I just don’t think this radical approach will do the United States any good. ”
MANCHIN INSISTS THAT DON’T VOTE ‘DOWN THE LINE’ FOR COVID RELIEF UNLESS THE ‘MAKES SENSE’ ACCOUNT
Wyoming Senator John Barrasso, the senior Republican on the Senate energy panel, said a moratorium imposed by Biden on oil and gas leases on federal land “is affecting the economies of western states”. The moratorium, which Haaland supports, could cost up to 33,000 jobs in Wyoming, said Barrasso, with 62,000 additional workers at risk in the home state of Haaland, New Mexico.
Barrasso and other Republicans also deplored Biden’s rejection of Canada’s Keystone XL pipeline off the United States’ Gulf Coast, saying that thousands of jobs will be lost and a friendly source of oil left idle. Haaland said, under questioning, on Wednesday, that he supports Biden’s decision and stressed that he will follow his schedule at the Interior Department – not hers.
Manchin said he was pleased that Haaland had made clear his commitment to extend a program to clean up abandoned coal mines across the country, including West Virginia.
Several Republican senators, including Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, a former Senate energy president, have not revealed how they will vote for Haaland’s nomination, although it seems likely that a majority of Republicans will oppose it.
Senator Steve Daines, R-Mont., Called Haaland “a hard-line ideologue with radical views out of touch with Montana and the West”. He cited her opposition to Keystone XL and statements she made before her appointment calling for the ban on Daines became involved with Haaland at her confirmation hearing about her previous opposition to capture on public land and her support for continued federal protection for grizzly bears. .
He asked Haaland why she co-sponsored a bill to continue protecting brown bears “when science tells us that bear numbers are well above the recovery targets” set by the Endangered Species Act.
“I imagine I was worrying about bears at the time,” replied Haaland. She later said that she “would be happy to take a look at this issue” with Daines.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APPLICATION
Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., Another former Energy Council chairman, told Haaland that he was “on top of everything” for his confirmation and would not only vote yes, but would also speak for her in the Senate floor.
“I think you made it clear that you will be there for rural jobs,” said Wyden. People in the West “want jobs and environmental protection. We see them as two sides of the same coin,” he added.