Pls Support Deb Haaland as Secretary of the Interior

[Hoai-An Truong]

Dear friends and fellow supporters of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe and other Indigenous Peoples:

We at Sonoma Solidarity with Standing Rock have written a letter to Senators Feinstein and Padilla in support of Rep. Deb Haaland's appointment as Secretary of the Interior, which is copied below and attached to this email. We have previously forwarded an email from Lakota Law in support of Deb Haaland's appointment. Today I have also included RL Miller of Climate Hawks Vote in support of Deb Haaland's appointment below. They are supporting the petition by the Daily Koz. Please sign a letter via Lakota Law or via Daily Kos/Climate Hawks Vote ASAP. Please share. Thank you!

Lakota Law's letter

Daily Kos's petition supported by Climate Hawks Vote

Our letter:

Dear Senators Feinstein and Padilla,

As advocates for tribal sovereignty rights and the protection of land and water on Native American lands, our group Sonoma Solidarity with Standing Rock urges you to support President Biden’s nomination of Deb Haaland for the position of Secretary of The Interior.

 

Deb Haaland is uniquely qualified to fill the position of Secretary of the Interior. As one of the first Indigenous women to serve in our Congress, Rep. Haaland understands the roles of federal, state and tribal governments in conservation and development. She has demonstrated her deep concerns about the environment, and knowledge about the importance of science based evidence in making policy decisions. This historic appointment would elevate a Native American to a cabinet position for the first time, and could mark a turning point for the government’s relationship with native peoples.

 

It is especially significant that Rep. Haaland would be leading the department that oversees the federal government’s relationship with tribal governments. Indigenous communities have long been excluded from decisions about federal policy that affect their way of life and their cultural, ecological and economic futures. Her values will provide needed change of perspective to this new administration and help lift Native American voices to greater prominence in the national conversation about conservation, environmental justice and the climate crisis. We require leaders in the federal government who understand the climate emergency, the impact it has on disenfranchised communities everywhere, and the urgent need to advance climate response swiftly.

 

Deb Haaland’s nomination represents a possible new direction for the agency which oversees energy development and fossil fuel extractions. These policies affect communities across the nation, particularly the indigenous, who have borne much of the brunt of reckless development meant to benefit a powerful few. The science shows that a healthy economy must be based upon a stable ecology, and democratic decision-making demands input from all citizen groups.

 

The members of Sonoma Solidarity join hundreds of tribes, The Lakota Law Project, Chairman of the Natural Resources Committee Raul Grijalva, and the Union of Concerned Scientists in advocating for Deb Haaland in this leadership role. Many Americans desire that this department take a leading role in developing cleaner energies, protecting our environment and our nation’s ecosystems, reducing and removing emissions from the atmosphere to restore the climate, and moving us forward toward a sustainable future. Deb Haaland possesses the experience, the knowledge, the vision and the will to help lead us forward. We hope that you will stand behind her Senate confirmation.

 

Respectfully,

 

Sonoma Solidarity with Standing Rock

_____

Letter from RL Miller of Climate Hawks Vote in support of Deb Haaland:

---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: RL Miller <in...@climatehawksvote.com>
Date: Tue, Feb 9, 2021 at 6:02 AM
Subject: Deb Haaland needs you

Stand with Deb.

Deb Haaland needs you to know that you stand with her. Late Friday afternoon, Steve Daines of Montana announced that he was putting a hold on her nomination, putting her Secretary of the Interior nomination in doubt.

Add your name: stand with Deb Haaland.

Daines says he’s going to block her nomination because of her support for “radical issues” like the Green New Deal and an end to the Keystone XL pipeline. In reality, Daines is acting on behalf of his fossil fuel backers. He’s taken over $1.1 million from the fossil fuel industry. He’s radically out of step with the American public.

Deb’s confirmation process hasn’t even started yet (we hear it will be later this month). Daines’ hold signals that the vote may be very close, and Deb will need all the support she can muster.

Stand with Deb. Sign the petition.

Your fellow climate hawk (still nesting at home),

RL Miller

Reference: “Montana senator says he’ll ‘block’ Deb Haaland’s Interior nomination,” Indian Country Today
https://indiancountrytoday.com/news/montana-senator-says-he-ll-block-deb-haaland-s-interior-nomination-gdpJ99LUGkmoX-5Yzf-0sw

 

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