Statement: Ocean Conservancy Welcomes Confirmation of Secretary Haaland

Washington, D.C. – The following statement was issued by Ocean Conservancy’s CEO Janis Searles Jones (@InVeritas_Jones) in reaction to the confirmation of Deb Haaland as the new Secretary, Department of the Interior, on March 15, 2021:

“Ocean Conservancy joins in celebrating the historic bipartisan confirmation of Deb Haaland as the first Indigenous person to be nominated and confirmed as the U.S. Secretary of the Interior. We are confident that she will truly be ‘a fierce advocate’ for nature, people and the planet.

“Secretary Haaland’s leadership on Indigenous rights, climate action, protection of public lands and waters, and her lived experience as an enrolled member of the Pueblo of Laguna will fill an important role in President Biden’s Cabinet.

“Her confirmation provides hope for a much-needed shift in the Department of the Interior and our nation’s troubled relationship with Tribes and Indigenous peoples—the original stewards of our lands and our waters.

“We look forward to working with Secretary Haaland in her new role leading the agency charged with managing public lands and waters and upholding our nation’s Tribal trust responsibilities.”

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Ocean Conservancy experts are available for comment upon request.

NOTES TO EDITOR

• Joint community letter (February 16, 2021) in support of the nomination of then Congresswoman Deb Haaland (D-NM-1).