Posted on 02/25/2021 7:15:41 AM PST by SeekAndFind
Rep. Deb Haaland (D-N.M.), President Joe Biden’s nominee for secretary of the interior, refused to answer basic questions about energy and fossil fuels on public lands. Haaland had previously campaigned on eliminating oil and gas production in New Mexico and Biden has pledged to eliminate drilling on public lands, yet the nominee played dumb when faced with elementary questions on these issues.
Rather than responding to basic questions and acknowledging the economic devastation that banning or restricting fossil fuels on public lands would entail, Haaland repeated that she has not been “briefed” on “that specific issue.”
Here are five gobsmacking moments from Wednesday’s confirmation hearing.
Sen. John Hoeven (R-N.D.) noted that the Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara (MHA) Native American Nation ships 300,000 barrels of oil a day through the Dakota Access Pipeline, oil that generates 90 percent of the nation’s revenues.
“Wouldn’t a shutdown of the pipeline have devastating economic consequences for them?” Hoeven asked.
“I don’t know the specificity of every single job there, but I can tell you that I would be more than dedicated to being briefed on that issue if I am confirmed,” Haaland responded.
After Hoeven repeated his question, Haaland conceded the basic premise.
“I don’t disagree, I understand what you’re saying. If something shuts down then jobs can be lost, and I understand that,” she begrudgingly admitted.
Biden's Interior nominee Deb Haaland on shutting down the Dakota Access Pipeline: “if something shuts down then jobs can be lost” https://t.co/CuhaT6CPrL pic.twitter.com/uTaH0ljSx5
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) February 24, 2021
Help us STOP Joe Biden’s radical agenda by becoming a PJ Media VIP member. Use promo code AMERICAFIRST to receive 25% off your VIP membership.
(Excerpt) Read more at pjmedia.com ...
Lankford also asked Haaland whether it is safer to transport oil and gas by truck and train traffic or by pipeline. According to data from the Department of Transportation, pipelines are the safest method, with 99.999997 percent of gas and crude oil moved safely through interstate pipelines. Yet Haaland acted as though the question was extremely complicated and arcane.
“Do you believe truck and train traffic moving energy is safer than a pipeline or do you think pipelines are safer than truck and train traffic?” Lankford asked.
“Again, I wish I could answer that question. I don’t know what the question is, I haven’t seen those statistics,” Haaland said.
Biden's Interior nominee Deb Haaland on whether pipelines are safer than truck and train traffic for moving energy: “wish I could answer that question”https://t.co/3ycOqrvpyW pic.twitter.com/NVLL1jYRwq
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) February 24, 2021
Haaland stood by her previous suggestion that taxing the sale of marijuana should replace the revenue lost in the banning of oil and gas production.
“In 2018, You campaigned on eliminating oil and gas production in New Mexico and you were specifically asked how you would make up for the loss of oil and gas royalties, which the state uses to fund public schools, and your answer was you would vote to legalize cannabis. That was your answer,” Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) said. He quoted her as saying, “If we legalize Cannabis and we have a new funding stream for our education system, that will help tremendously.”
“Do you still believe that states should replace oil and gas royalties used for public education with taxes on the sale of marijuana?” the senator asked.
“I think the point of that, senator, was that we should diversify our funding streams for education,” Haaland responded.
“So is selling marijuana among what the Biden administration calls better choices?” Barrasso asked, referring to climate czar John Kerry’s remarks that Biden wants to give displaced fossil fuel workers the ability to “have better choices” of jobs. “Is that the better choice, marijuana?”
“I honestly don’t know what president Biden’s stance is on cannabis currently,” Haaland responded.
“Well, we know what your stance is on replacing the revenue from the energy jobs, the jobs that power our economy and the energy that powers our country, and your preference is to turn to drugs is what you’ve recommended to the voters,” Barrasso replied. Ouch.
Biden's Interior nominee Deb Haaland stands by past comments, wants to use marijuana to fund schoolshttps://t.co/BDtqCrdcJp pic.twitter.com/P5UzBp5ZwM
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) February 24, 2021
REal transparency. The media is disgusting. Trump invited them into cabinet meetings. Talked with them daily. Took their questions and abuse. These bast*rds don’t hold Biden to the mat at all.
“pipelines are the safest method”
And have been for many decades. Though, some of the pipelining probably needs to be dug up and replaced by now - given the oldest lines, in some portions of the country.
Pipeline hubs in certain areas around the country, are called “ports” - just like seaside shipping ports.
Hundreds of thousands of tons of fluid material, pass thru such ports, every day.
A: "I don’t know what the question is"
Unbelievable. Should be DQ'd right there.
The real question is, why are the “Republicans” going along with ANY of the “nominees”?
Why legitimize an illegitimate “President”?
Why are they pretending that this is just normal “advise and consent” exercises with the “new administration”?
If the other side were in the same position they would be lockstep opposed to every single one of the Thief in Chief’s henchmen, and would do everything they could to hamstring the vote, dump the nominee, force the criminals to bring in someone innocuous or just leave the positions empty for lack of a quorum.
This “administration” has no validity. No one should cooperate with it. Republicans who do are on their side.
It means she knows nothing about the job.
Worse, she won't know anything about such simple things as whether Venezuela, Mexico, Russia, or the Middle East have working environmental program protections at all! (Until after she is confirmed.)
Like Pelosi, "We must pass the ObamaCare bill to find out what is in the ObamaCare bill! "
The real question is, why are the “Republicans” going along with ANY of the “nominees”?
***************
Why should a Biden nominee answer any questions from Republicans? They are a weak and inconsequential party that is afraid of its shadow.
If I was a Dem I’d refuse to answer questions too. To your point, what’s the GOP going to do about it? Nada, nothing, zero. The GOP is a complete joke.
Are NM Democrats a special kind of stupid,
or is just ordinary everyday Democrat stupidity?
She can’t answer because the plan is to turn all of the USA into Texas by next winter, or maybe the one after that.
“I don’t know the specificity of every single job there, but I can tell you that I would be more than dedicated to being briefed on that issue if I am confirmed,” Haaland responded.
There it is. The answer to the question was obvious. Diversion and evasion are tools of deceit. I see it everywhere, including here.
Repukes will vote for her anyway, which is why I will never vote Repuke ever again.
Asked why she wanted to become the next secretary of the Department of the Interior, Rep. Deb Haaland referenced the Navajo Code Talkers, saying the group used the Navajo word for “Our Mother” as code for United States.“I feel very strongly that sums up what we’re dealing with,” she told senators on the committee considering her nomination.
“This is all of our country. This is our mother. You’ve heard the Earth referred to as Mother Earth. It’s difficult to not feel obligated to protect this land,” Haaland said. “And I feel every Indigenous person in the country understands that.”
For a second day in a row, Haaland fielded questions from members of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee that is considering her nomination to be interior secretary.
Republican senators threatened to filibuster, repeated their questions and raised their voices when questioning Haaland. They objected to the New Mexico Democrat’s previous statements about the fossil fuel industry and fracking on public lands.
The hearing came to a close without members taking a vote on Haaland’s nomination. The Associated Press reported later Wednesday that Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin, the committee chair, said he will vote to confirm Haaland.
That’s a key vote for Haaland on her way to becoming the first Native American to head a Cabinet agency.
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