A watchdog group is seeking answers as to whether Somah Haaland's alleged lobbying of D.C. lawmakers to end oil and gas leasing near a New Mexico historical site is a conflict of interest, after her mother was appointed last year by President Biden to serve as Secretary of the Interior, overseeing such matters.
Haaland is the daughter of Secretary of the Department of the Interior Deb Haaland. The elder Haaland served as chair of the New Mexico Democratic Party from 2015 to 2017, and as the U.S. representative for New Mexico's 1st Congressional District from 2019 until 2021.
“Federal employees are supposed to recuse from matters that involve parties with which they have covered relationships,” said Michael Chamberlain, director of Protect the Public’s Trust. “So, a daughter would be considered a covered relationship. If Somah Haaland is involved in lobbying on an issue or in activism on a matter, that could potentially create conflicts of interest for Secretary Haaland.”
It’s been widely reported that the younger Haaland is a media organizer for a cultural and environmental group in New Mexico called the Pueblo Action Alliance and Protect the Public's Trust has submitted Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) inquiries to determine what conversations have occurred between Somah Holland, her mother, Secretary Haaland, and other leaders in the Department of the Interior.
"We want to know what kind of involvement Somah had in these issues, and if there were potentially any possible areas where conflicts of interest may have arisen," Chamberlain said. "We requested communications between Somah Haaland and officials within the Department of the Interior, including the Secretary, the Bureau of Land Management director, and others who may have been working on this particular issue."
Haaland's efforts have included traveling to Capitol Hill with climate change activists to argue that there would be damage to communities and the environment if drilling adjacent to New Mexico’s Chaco Culture National Historical Park were permitted, according to media reports.
“The Secretary of the Interior is involved with issues around oil and gas leasing so it’s something that falls under the Department of the Interior’s purview," Chamberlain told Legal Newsline.
As previously reported on Fox News, the Greater Chaco Coalition was formed to oppose fossil fuel drilling near the site. The Coalition is made up of members from the WildEarth Guardians, Pueblo Action Alliance, and other environmental groups.
"If it involves, mineral leasing, mining, oil and gas leases on federal land, then that would be something the Department of the Interior generally would have jurisdiction over," Chamberlain added.