FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Conservation Lands Foundation statement from executive director Brian Sybert on the nomination of Congresswoman Deb Haaland of New Mexico to serve as the next Secretary of the Interior:
“One lesson from this year is that public lands are among the last unifiers for repairing and healing our country and democracy. America needs competent, focused leadership that understands and respects why we protect our public lands: to safeguard the foundation of our nation’s diverse cultural and natural heritage, and as an insurance policy against the climate crisis, biodiversity loss and other human-caused disasters that threaten our lives and the planet's health.
“Congresswoman Deb Haaland brings a lived experience like no other to lead the Department of the Interior in ways that will harness the power of nature to ameliorate the impacts of climate change, improve access to the Great Outdoors for all Americans, honor the sovereignty of tribal nations, support rural economies, and safeguard wildlife and wild places for future Americans to enjoy. There’s no time to lose and we applaud her nomination.
“Conservation Lands Foundation and our community-based partners across the West look forward to working with Secretary-designate Haaland to reinstate protections for Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments and to accelerate the pursuit of protecting 30% of public lands by 2030 for our nation’s health and well-being.”
Contact:
David Feinman, Government Affairs Director