U.S. Rep. Debra Haaland (D-N.M.) was confirmed March 15 as the first native American interior secretary, sparking reactions from the outdoor recreation industry.
The 51 to 40 vote in the Senate follows earlier approval by the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, which voted 11 to 9 in support of Haaland. Four Republicans crossed party lines to support the nomination, including both Alaska senators.
“Fortunately for the RV community, Haaland understands why outdoor recreation is so important,” RVDA stated.
RVDA stated Haaland, as a congressional member, led the charge on the Simplifying Outdoor Access for Recreation (SOAR) Act, aiming to cut bureaucratic red tape that prevents Americans from accessing outdoor spaces. She also supported the Great American Outdoors Act last session, the association stated, which provided much-needed funding to public lands and waters.
“Outdoor Recreation Roundtable (ORR) and the entire outdoor recreation industry are excited for Rep. Haaland’s game-changing and historic confirmation to be the next Secretary of the Interior,” ORR acting Executive Director Lindsey Davis said. “Throughout her career, Rep. Haaland has worked to improve and increase access to the outdoors for recreationists, and she understands how this access to public lands and waters is vital to rural communities and the nation’s outdoor recreation economy. We look forward to continuing to work with her as secretary on outdoor recreation issues, access and economies.”
During the confirmation, RVDA stated Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) “paved the way” to Haaland’s approval by joining all the committee’s Democrats during the vote.
“I have decided to support this nomination … to support the first Native American who will hold this position, with the expectation that Rep. Haaland will be true to her word,” Murkowski said. “Not just on issues related to Native peoples, but also responsible resource development.”
Murkowski was joined by fellow Alaskan Sen. Dan Sullivan, Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Sen. Lindsay Graham (R-S.C.) in supporting Haaland in the final confirmation vote.
President Joe Biden’s policy agenda is to address climate change, RVDA stated, and he will use all federal departments, including the Interior Department, as tools toward that goal. Biden established a program called “30 by 30” which aims to protect 30 percent of U.S. lands and coastal seas by the year 2030.
RVDA stated Haaland will have to “strike the right balance” as the Interior Department manages energy development and seeks to restore and protect the nation’s federal lands.
In testimony at her confirmation hearing, Haaland said “America’s public lands can and should be engines for clean energy production …. and have the potential to spur job creation.” Those remarks were intended to rebut criticism from some Republicans, RVDA stated, who complained her opposition to drilling on federal lands will cost thousands of jobs and harm economies throughout the West.
In terms of the RV industry impact, the Interior Department oversees management of 84 million acres of National Parks Service (NPS) lands and 245 million acres managed by the Bureau of Land Management. The agency also oversees the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, among other bureaus and offices.
RVIA stated it has and will continue to work closely with NPS staff on major campground modernization initiatives such as the Second Century Campground Strategy.
