[ad_1]
Democratic Senator Joe Manchin, chairman of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, said Wednesday he would vote for New Mexico Representative Deb Haaland as Home Secretary, paving the way for her approval likely as the first Native American to head a Cabinet Agency.
Manchin, a moderate from West Virginia, had been publicly undecided during two days of hearings over President Joe Biden’s appointment of Haaland. Manchin sparked a political uproar last week by announcing his intention to oppose Biden’s choice for budget director Neera Tanden, a crucial defection that could sink his nomination into the equally divided Senate.
DEB HAALAND: WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT THE SECRETARY INSIDE BIDEN
In contrast, Manchin said Haaland won his vote, despite disagreements over drilling on federal lands and the Keystone XL pipeline.
“I believe Deb Haaland will be Home Secretary for every American and vote to confirm it,” Manchin said 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.”
Colleagues at Haaland’s household on both sides of the aisle, including Republican Alaska Rep. Don Young, praised Haaland’s bipartisan accomplishments and “his sincere willingness to work collaboratively on important issues,” he said. Manchin said.
Manchin also said he was pleased that Haaland, in this week’s hearings, said the Biden administration is committed to continuing to use fossil fuels “for years to come, even as we move on to a cleaner energy future through innovation, not elimination ”.
MEDIA PUNDITS COMPLAIN NEERA TANDEN ON RECEIVING SEXIST TREATMENT FROM MANCHIN AS HOPES OF CONFIRMATION ARE FULFILLED
Manchin, a longtime advocate for the coal industry, heads a committee crucial to Biden’s efforts to tackle climate change, but has expressed skepticism about some of the actions advocates deem necessary to reduce harmful emissions of greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming. He underscored the need to create clean energy jobs to replace jobs likely to be lost in the transition away from coal, oil and natural gas.
Manchin’s announcement came as Republicans denounced Haaland, saying her opposition to fracking, Keystone XL and other issues made her unfit for a role in which she will oversee energy development over vast areas. of federal lands, mainly 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 “Lenin’s left-wing neo-socialist slap work.”
While wanting to know more about her, Kennedy added, “No impartial person believes that we can power the greatest economy in all of human history … without oil and gas. And she seems to think that we I can. And I think she lives in the country of la-la. And I don’t think this radical approach serves America well. “
MANCHIN INSISTS HE DOES NOT VOTE ‘ONLINE’ ON COVID RELIEF UNLESS BILL ‘MAKES SENSE’
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 lands “takes a heavy toll on state economies Westerners. ” The moratorium, backed by Haaland, could cost as much as 33,000 jobs in Wyoming, Barrasso said, with 62,000 additional workers in the home state of Haaland, New Mexico, at risk.
Barrasso and other Republicans also lamented Biden’s rejection of the Keystone XL pipeline connecting Canada to the U.S. Gulf of Mexico coast, saying thousands of jobs would be lost and a friendly source of oil would be inactive. Haaland said in questioning on Wednesday that she supported Biden’s decision and stressed that she would follow her Home Office agenda – not hers.
Manchin said he was happy that Halaland had made his commitment to expanding a program to clean up abandoned coal mines across the country, including West Virginia.
Several Republican Senators, including Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, former Senate Speaker on Energy, have not disclosed how they would vote on Haaland’s nomination, although it seems likely that most Republicans will. will oppose.
Senator Steve Daines, R-Mont., Called Haaland a “hard-line ideologue with radical views disconnected from Montana and the West.” He cited her opposition to Keystone XL and the statements she made prior to her appointment calling for a ban from Daines mingled with Haaland during her confirmation hearing about her previous opposition to entrapment on public lands and for its support for continued federal protection of grizzly bears.
He asked Haaland why she co-sponsored a bill to maintain grizzly bear protection “when science tells us bear numbers are well above recovery targets” set by the Species Act. endangered.
“I guess back then I cared about bears,” Haaland replied. She later said she “would be happy to look into this matter” with Daines.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., Another former president of Energy, told Haaland he was “very much” for her confirmation and not only would vote yes, but would speak for her in the Senate as well.
“I think you’ve argued without a doubt that you will be there for the rural jobs,” Wyden said. Westerners “want jobs and environmental protection. We see them as two sides of the same coin,” he added.
[ad_2]
Source link