<p>US President-elect Joe Biden unveiled his environment team Thursday, choosing congresswoman Deb Haaland to serve as the first Native American interior secretary and Jennifer Granholm, a former Michigan governor, as energy secretary.</p>.<p>He also nominated Michael Regan, a North Carolina environmental regulator who is Black and brokered the nation's largest coal ash cleanup, to be administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency.</p>.<p>The choices fit with Biden's much-publicized pledge to form the most diverse White House cabinet in history.</p>.<p><a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/international/world-news-politics/something-very-historical-push-for-diverse-biden-cabinet-918230.html"><strong>Read: 'Something very historical': Push for diverse Biden Cabinet</strong></a></p>.<p>"This brilliant, tested, trailblazing team will be ready on day one to confront the existential threat of climate change with a unified national response rooted in science and equity," Biden said in a statement.</p>.<p>Haaland is a first-term Democratic congresswoman from New Mexico and a member of the Laguna Pueblo people. If confirmed by the Senate, she would become the first Native American to lead a cabinet-level department.</p>.<p>The Interior Department is a vast agency of more than 70,000 employees overseeing the country's natural resources, including national parks, and oil and gas drilling sites, as well as tribal lands — home to 578 federally recognized tribes.</p>.<p>In Congress, Haaland has prioritized the improvement of services to tribal communities, especially assistance during the coronavirus pandemic, which has disproportionately hurt Native American families.</p>.<p>"It would be an honor to move the Biden-Harris climate agenda forward, help repair the government-to-government relationship with tribes that the Trump Administration has ruined, and serve as the first Native American cabinet secretary in our nation's history," Haaland said ahead of her official nomination.</p>.<p>Regan served at the EPA in the administrations of Bill Clinton and George W. Bush.</p>.<p>He would be the first Black man to lead the agency, tasked with helping to carry out Biden's ambitious climate plans, which call for embracing clean energy and crafting higher fuel-efficiency standards for the country's automobiles and trucks.</p>.<p>Energy secretary nominee Granholm has spoken often about the need to radically rethink energy policy in light of climate change.</p>.<p>An outspoken champion of Biden during the presidential campaign, Granholm has sketched out a national "race to the top" in which states could compete for clean energy funds.</p>.<p>Biden's pick of Haaland is seen as a tough political call because he would be removing a Democrat from the House of Representatives at a time when the party's majority there is hanging by a thread.</p>.<p>But a public campaign supporting Haaland's nomination gained steam, and dozens of tribal leaders called on Biden to choose her.</p>.<p>The nomination marked "a historic and unprecedented day for all Indigenous people," said Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez.</p>.<p>Haaland's pick "sends a clear message" that Biden "is committed to addressing the wrongs of the past and clearing a path for real change and opportunity for tribal nations."</p>.<p>Haaland won re-election easily in November, and while the seat has been in Democratic hands since 2009, it is unclear whether another Democrat would win it.</p>.<p>During Donald Trump's presidency, the interior department earned scorn from Native American groups.</p>.<p>His administration expedited projects like the controversial Dakota Access pipeline, which has been vehemently opposed by Native American groups including the Standing Rock Sioux.</p>.<p>Haaland jabbed Trump on Thursday before news broke of her nomination.</p>.<p>"Trump failed Indian Country & only broke more promises," she tweeted. "It was exacerbated by the Administration's failure to take this #pandemic seriously. Looking forward to turning the page on this dark chapter."</p>.<p>Biden has now picked most of his cabinet, including Antony Blinken for secretary of state, and Janet Yellen to head the Treasury.</p>.<p>The most senior post that remains open is that of US attorney general.</p>
<p>US President-elect Joe Biden unveiled his environment team Thursday, choosing congresswoman Deb Haaland to serve as the first Native American interior secretary and Jennifer Granholm, a former Michigan governor, as energy secretary.</p>.<p>He also nominated Michael Regan, a North Carolina environmental regulator who is Black and brokered the nation's largest coal ash cleanup, to be administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency.</p>.<p>The choices fit with Biden's much-publicized pledge to form the most diverse White House cabinet in history.</p>.<p><a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/international/world-news-politics/something-very-historical-push-for-diverse-biden-cabinet-918230.html"><strong>Read: 'Something very historical': Push for diverse Biden Cabinet</strong></a></p>.<p>"This brilliant, tested, trailblazing team will be ready on day one to confront the existential threat of climate change with a unified national response rooted in science and equity," Biden said in a statement.</p>.<p>Haaland is a first-term Democratic congresswoman from New Mexico and a member of the Laguna Pueblo people. If confirmed by the Senate, she would become the first Native American to lead a cabinet-level department.</p>.<p>The Interior Department is a vast agency of more than 70,000 employees overseeing the country's natural resources, including national parks, and oil and gas drilling sites, as well as tribal lands — home to 578 federally recognized tribes.</p>.<p>In Congress, Haaland has prioritized the improvement of services to tribal communities, especially assistance during the coronavirus pandemic, which has disproportionately hurt Native American families.</p>.<p>"It would be an honor to move the Biden-Harris climate agenda forward, help repair the government-to-government relationship with tribes that the Trump Administration has ruined, and serve as the first Native American cabinet secretary in our nation's history," Haaland said ahead of her official nomination.</p>.<p>Regan served at the EPA in the administrations of Bill Clinton and George W. Bush.</p>.<p>He would be the first Black man to lead the agency, tasked with helping to carry out Biden's ambitious climate plans, which call for embracing clean energy and crafting higher fuel-efficiency standards for the country's automobiles and trucks.</p>.<p>Energy secretary nominee Granholm has spoken often about the need to radically rethink energy policy in light of climate change.</p>.<p>An outspoken champion of Biden during the presidential campaign, Granholm has sketched out a national "race to the top" in which states could compete for clean energy funds.</p>.<p>Biden's pick of Haaland is seen as a tough political call because he would be removing a Democrat from the House of Representatives at a time when the party's majority there is hanging by a thread.</p>.<p>But a public campaign supporting Haaland's nomination gained steam, and dozens of tribal leaders called on Biden to choose her.</p>.<p>The nomination marked "a historic and unprecedented day for all Indigenous people," said Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez.</p>.<p>Haaland's pick "sends a clear message" that Biden "is committed to addressing the wrongs of the past and clearing a path for real change and opportunity for tribal nations."</p>.<p>Haaland won re-election easily in November, and while the seat has been in Democratic hands since 2009, it is unclear whether another Democrat would win it.</p>.<p>During Donald Trump's presidency, the interior department earned scorn from Native American groups.</p>.<p>His administration expedited projects like the controversial Dakota Access pipeline, which has been vehemently opposed by Native American groups including the Standing Rock Sioux.</p>.<p>Haaland jabbed Trump on Thursday before news broke of her nomination.</p>.<p>"Trump failed Indian Country & only broke more promises," she tweeted. "It was exacerbated by the Administration's failure to take this #pandemic seriously. Looking forward to turning the page on this dark chapter."</p>.<p>Biden has now picked most of his cabinet, including Antony Blinken for secretary of state, and Janet Yellen to head the Treasury.</p>.<p>The most senior post that remains open is that of US attorney general.</p>