Thread by @jbendery

Deb Haaland's Senate confirmation hearing begins.

Sen. Barrasso is up. He has said Haaland’s “radical views are squarely at odds with the responsible management" of public lands.

I wonder why a guy who's taken $1.14M from the oil/gas industry would think protecting public lands from drilling is radical? huffpost.com/entry/gop-sena…

Rep. Don Young (R-Alaska), who is about to testify in support of Haaland's nomination, just laughed out loud at Barrasso dramatically talking about how big Wyoming is.

"I'm the oldest member of both bodies. I've served with 10 presidents and 15 Secretaries of Interior. There's not much I have not seen," says Young. "President Biden has chosen Deb.... You'll find she will listen to you."

"Another reason I'm supporting Deb, she is an American Indian. I am quite proud of that fact," says Young.

"I would suggest respectfully her working with Native people will be beneficial to the Secretary of Interior."

"Anybody who thinks you're gonna cut off fossil fuel immediately is smoking pot, that's legal in the state Alaska by the way," says Young.

😂

Here are Deb Haaland's prepared remarks.

"I carry my life experiences with me everywhere I go.... If an Indigenous woman from humble beginnings can be confirmed as Secretary of the Interior, our country holds promise for everyone." energy.senate.gov/services/files…

As Deb Haaland's confirmation hearing gets underway, here's a handy guide to how much money every Republican senator on this committee takes from the oil and gas industry.

Via Accountable Senate War Room.

Barrasso now up with his Qs. "Should the fed govt continue to permit hard rock mines?"

Haaland: "If we do these things in a responsible manner and protect the health and safety of workers, I see us moving forward. The earth is here to provide for us."

Barrasso: You tweeted that Republicans don't believe in science in Oct 2020. Some of us are medical doctors. How do you stand by this?

Haaland: "If you are a doctor, I would assume you believe in science."

😂

Keep in mind that Republicans on this committee are trying to paint Haaland as radical -- b/c she supports Biden's policy agenda.

She supports Biden's positions like opposing the Keystone pipeline, pausing new oil/gas leasing on federal lands + slashing greenhouse gas emissions.

Mike Lee is up.

He's on the lower end of oil/gas industry money compared to his committee colleagues. Only $366K. Pennies!

Lee used his entire time to raise vague concerns about national monuments and presidents' "sweeping authority" over their designations.

Appears he doesn't like that 3.25M acres of land in his state, Utah, has monument designation.

"I'm a little jealous you're from Utah," Haaland says. "You have so much beautiful land there."

"Monument designation doesn't make them more beautiful," says Lee, but makes local communities "more impoverished."

"I appreciate you sharing this knowledge with me," says Haaland.

Bernie Sanders is up.

"It is no secret that you are a proud Native American."

Yes. 😂

"The way our government -- from day one, from before we became a country -- has treated Native American people has been nothing less than shameful," says Bernie.

Asks for Haaland's ideas for improving life for Native American people + functioning of Bureau of Indian Affairs.

Haaland says priorities include missing and murdered Indigenous women + the pandemic highlighting disparities in communities of color, inclu Native communities.

"An excellent start" would be installing broadband Internet on tribal lands for educational opps + telehealth opps.

Sen. Daines is up. He's come out the strongest against Deb Haaland, vowing to *block* Haaland's nomination because he says she is "radical."

For starters, Daines can't block her nomination. He is in the minority party now. So, there's that.

Daines has tried to cast Haaland as "radical" because she supports Biden's policies + wants to protect public lands as Interior Secretary.

Also, Daines has taken more than $1.2 million from the oil and gas industry, which wants to drill on public lands. huffpost.com/entry/gop-sena…

Daines: You cosponsored a bill to provide federal protections for the Grizzly Bear in perpetuity. Why sponsor a bill like that when science says the numbers are above recovery targets?

Haaland: "I imagine at the time I was caring about the bears."

Daines pressing Haaland on her views on fracking and new pipelines.

Haaland: "If I am confirmed as secretary, it's President Biden's agenda that I would move forward, not my own."

Murkowski is up. This could be interesting. Don Young is strongly backing Haaland + Haaland's nomination is hugely historic, but oil/gas drilling is huge in Alaska.

She notes the "very significant, outsized role" of the Interior Dept plays over Alaskans' lives.

Haaland tells Murkowski that "Biden doesn't want to cripple any state."

Haaland says, if confirmed, she will "rely heavily" on their relationship to understand Alaskans' unique issues.

"I do want to work with you."

I'll just note that Lisa Murkowski owes her 2010 Senate reelection to Alaska Native voters. huffpost.com/entry/lisa-mur…

Sen. Lankford is up.

Haven't seen any comments from him on Haaland to date. But here's where he stacks up with his GOP colleagues on the committee in terms of all the money he takes from the oil and gas industry. Not bad!

Lankford talking about different kinds of oil and gas leases for tribal lands vs private lands vs federal lands.

This... is not my wheelhouse so I have nothing to offer here.

Sen. Cassidy is up. He says he's taking part in 3 committee hearings at the same time right now.

Q: Do you agree with Biden's plan to stop Keystone XL Pipeline?

Haaland: "It is his decision. He's the president."

Cassidy gets the most money from the oil and gas industry out of any Republican senator on this committee.

He's taken nearly $1.7M.

Cassidy: Is your Interior Dept going to be guided by science or something other than science?

Haaland: If I'm confirmed, yes, science.

Sen. King is up, talking about driving all over the country in an RV 20 years ago.

He is inviting her to come to Maine.

Ok this will be an easy round of Qs.

Sen. Hoeven is up. Asks about her standing with Dakota pipeline protesters in the past.

Haaland says yes, she "stood with the water protectors" because she "agreed with that tribe that felt they weren't consulted in the best way" and said "tribal consultation is important."

Hoeven: Would you recuse yourself from matters related to the Dakota Access pipeline? (What? She's not a judicial nominee.)

Haaland: If I'm confirmed, I will heed the advice of attorneys and ethics folks at the Interior Dept.

Manchin just asked Haaland if she could come back on Weds for round 2 of Qs. She said of course.

So... this hearing will go on for another day then.

Sen. Hyde-Smith is up.

Like Barrasso, she is blurring the distinction between Biden's pause on *new* oil and gas leasing on federal lands vs. the idea that he is ending *all* oil and gas leasing on federal lands.

"Valid, existing leases will move forward," says Haaland.

Hyde-Smith, still at it: Biden's ban on offshore oil and gas leasing in Gulf of Mexico will hurt Mississippi jobs.

Haaland: It's a pause on *new* leases, not a ban. Also, there are roughly 7,000 unused approved permits to drill.

"Long way to go" to make use of those permits.

In related news, Hyde-Smith has taken $357K from the oil and gas industry.

Why is Manchin making Haaland come back tomorrow at 10am for round 2 of questions?

Seems like they could knock this out today.

And... the committee has wrapped up for the day, coming back tomorrow at 10am for round 2 of questions for Deb Haaland.

Why, I ask again? Why not do this today?