Biden Picks Haaland as First Native American Interior Head (1)

President-elect Joe Biden has tapped Deb Haaland to lead the Interior Department, according to people familiar with the matter, putting the Democratic representative in line to become the first American Indian cabinet secretary in U.S. history.

If confirmed as Interior secretary, Haaland would have a chance to chart the future of conservation, recreation and oil drilling on federal land, including territory in New Mexico, the state she represents in the House of Representatives.

Haaland, a 60-year-old citizen of the Laguna Pueblo, a 7,700-member tribe west of Albuquerque, New Mexico, has drawn widespread praise from environmental groups and tribal leaders. They ...