Published on February 10th, 2021
Republican Sen. Steve Daines, the extremist junior senator from Montana who shills for the oil and gas industry, met with Rep. Deb Haaland last week and came away saying he will seek to block her nomination as secretary of the Department of Interior. Daines can slow down the process by placing a hold on her nomination, and he has support from Wyoming Republican Sen. John Barrasso (as well as 18 members of the House). But since the Congresswoman only needs a simple majority in the Senate, she is likely to be confirmed as the first American Indian and third woman to hold the Interior post. Both Daines and Barrasso sit on the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs.
Cancel All the Pipelines
Without congressional action, the Biden administration’s planned Day One revocation of the Keystone XL permit will be an important but temporary victory.
JIM WATSON/AFP/Getty Images
Some good news can’t wait. On Sunday, the CBC reported that canceling federally issued permits for the Keystone XL pipeline will be part of President-elect Joe Biden’s Day One agenda. In theory, the pipeline could be dead by Wednesday afternoon, when prior presidents have been prepping for inaugural balls. (The balls have been canceled this year.)
Like the dissolution of the Atlantic Coast Pipeline last summer, Keystone XL’s imminent demise is a major victory for Native and environmentalist organizers, who’ve stood against the controversial pipeline extension since the beginning. But it’s also a symbol of a larger set of dilemmas. With Representative Deb Haaland soon to become secretary of the interior the Laguna Pueblo citizen will be the first Native official to
Indigenous women protesting oil pollution in the Peruvian Amazon face off with police outside the Congress building in Lima in 2016. (Barbara Fraser)
Editor s Note: EarthBeat Weekly is your weekly newsletter about faith and climate change. Below is the Jan. 8 edition. To receive EarthBeat Weekly in your inbox, sign up here.
In the wake of the riot at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, civil rights leaders, legislators and even President-elect Joe Biden commented that the Trump-supporting insurrectionists who stormed the building had been treated more leniently than Black Lives Matter protesters last year.
Although some experts say the case of the Capitol merits a more nuanced look and officials have pointed out that dozens of arrests were made, the images of the events in Washington contrast sharply with those from protests mainly led by people of color.