Romney, Lee vote against Deb Haaland’s historic confirmation as green groups, energy interests weigh in
As first Native American in a presidential Cabinet, new Interior boss is expected to chart a new course favoring conservation over extraction. Bears Ears and Grand Staircase are top issues.
(Graeme Jennings/Pool via AP) Rep. Deb Haaland, D-N.M., speaks during a Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources hearing on her nomination to be Interior secretary, Tuesday, Feb. 23, 2021 on Capitol Hill in Washington. The Senate voted Monday to confirm her in a 51-40 tally.
| March 16, 2021, 1:06 a.m.
Utah’s two senators voted against confirming Rep. Deb. Haaland, D-N.M., as secretary of Interior, citing her past support for what they and other Republican critics contend is a “radical” agenda aimed at heavy-handed federal oversight of public lands and their resources.