Pelosi pushes Rep. Deb Haaland for interior secretary as Biden finalizes environmental team


President-elect Joe Biden is putting the final touches on his team leading environmental policy across the U.S., but still has a few key selections left to announce.
After announcing his transportation and energy secretaries this week, as well as his climate czar and head of the Council on Environmental Quality, Biden has yet to name his picks to lead the Environmental Protection Agency and Interior Department. But Biden is reportedly close to nominating Michael Regan and Rep. Deb Haaland (D-N.M.) to those roles, respectively, with the latter getting some high-profile support.
Biden has so far nabbed two Democratic congressmembers from the House's already-slim majority, and his reported top choice of Haaland for interior secretary would only narrow House Democrats' power further. But House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on Wednesday encouraged Biden to pick Haaland anyway, saying she "knows the territory" and would be an "excellent choice" for the post.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Biden is meanwhile "close" to naming Regan, the secretary of the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality, to lead the EPA, people close to the matter tell Axios. Regan also served in air quality roles under former Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush.
So far, Biden has picked former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg to lead the Department of Transportation, former EPA administrator Gina McCarthy as his climate czar, and former Secretary of State John Kerry as his special presidential envoy for climate. And on Wednesday, Biden picked environmental lawyer and federal government veteran Brenda Mallory to lead the Council on Environmental Quality, The New York Times reports. Mallory will likely bring a focus on environmental justice to the role.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Kathryn is a graduate of Syracuse University, with degrees in magazine journalism and information technology, along with hours to earn another degree after working at SU's independent paper The Daily Orange. She's currently recovering from a horse addiction while living in New York City, and likes to share her extremely dry sense of humor on Twitter.
-
Uruguay shaken by 'phantom cow' scam
Under the Radar Cattle seen as a safe investment in beef-mad nation – but the cows, and people's life savings, are nowhere to be found
-
Critics' choice: Steak houses that break from tradition
Feature Eight hours of slow-roasting prime rib, a 41-ounce steak, and a former Catholic school chapel turned steakhouse
-
Tash Aw's 6 favorite books about forbidden love
Feature The Malaysian novelist recommends works by James Baldwin, Toni Morrison, and more
-
EPA is reportedly killing Energy Star program
speed read The program for energy-efficient home appliances has saved consumers billions in energy costs since its 1992 launch
-
US proposes eroding species protections
Speed Read The Trump administration wants to change the definition of 'harm' in the Environmental Protection Act to allow habitat damage
-
Severe storms kill dozens across central US
Speed Read At least 40 people were killed over the weekend by tornadoes, wildfires and dust storms
-
Rain helps Los Angeles wildfires, risks mudslides
Speed Read The weather provided relief for crews working to contain wildfires, though rain over a burn area ups the chances of flooding and mudslides
-
Death toll rises in LA fires as wind lull allows progress
Speed Read At least 24 people have died and 100,000 people are under mandatory evacuation orders
-
Biden cancels Italy trip as raging LA fires spread
Speed Read The majority of the fires remain 0% contained
-
Fast-spreading Los Angeles wildfires spark panic
Speed Read About 30,000 people were under an evacuation order as the inferno spread
-
Hundreds feared dead in French Mayotte cyclone
Speed Read Cyclone Chido slammed into Mayotte, a French territory in the Indian Ocean