US Interior Secretary Haaland reflects on tenure and tradition amid policy challenges

By SUSAN MONTOYA BRYAN
Associated Press

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — U.S. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland has made history a few times in her political career, becoming one of the first Native American women to serve in Congress and as the first to hold the reins of the Interior Department. Haaland says one of the hardest things about the job is balancing the interests of all Americans when it comes to energy development on public lands and the preservation of culturally significant sites. Some Native American tribes have praised her efforts, while others have accused the Biden administration of dismissing their concerns. Haaland says each project and each tribe is different and vowed to follow science and the law in making policy decisions.