Energy & Environment — Deb Haaland's parting thoughts

View Online Energy & Environment Energy & Environment The Big Story  Haaland reflects on Interior tenure As she prepares to leave the Biden administration, Interior Secretary Deb Haaland expressed confidence that the work the department has done to conserve land and promote renewable energy during her tenure will be durable. © Mark Schiefelbein, Associated Press "We have some pretty awesome attorneys here at the department," she said "They really make sure that the work we're doing is right, it's done well and it's durable." "The fact that we really have, on a lot of these conservation efforts, gotten the full support of the communities that we have done these in —  that really is something I think that's valuable," she said.  Haaland particularly expressed skepticism as to whether the incoming administration would be able to block wind energy projects — despite President-elect Trump's growing hostility to the climate-friendly power source.  "Of course, they can always try. But I mean, there's existing rights that people have," Haaland said. "Quite frankly, I don't see ...the offshore wind industry taking a step back at all. They have too much invested," she added. When asked what she will do when she leaves the Interior Department, she declined to give specifics. She did say, however, that she hopes to continue to fight for Native people and combat climate change. "Before I came here, before I came to Congress... I was an advocate for missing and murdered Indigenous peoples. I was a climate activist," she said.  "I worked hard on a lot of elections, every seat, every single cycle, to get the candidates who cared about my issues elected. So my guess is that I'm going to give support to organizations that move those issues forward," she added. She also declined to comment on whether she will run for governor in her home state of New Mexico, saying that she could not speak about elections from her perch within the administration.    Read more when the full article runs this weekend at TheHill.com. Welcome to The Hill's Energy & Environment newsletter, we're Rachel Frazin and Zack Budryk — keeping you up to speed on the policies impacting everything from oil and gas to new supply chains. Did someone forward you this newsletter? Subscribe here. Essential Reads  How policy will affect the energy and environment sectors now and in the future: GOP states, oil lobbying group sue White House over offshore drilling restrictions The primary lobbying group representing the fossil fuel industry joined five Republican attorneys general Friday in a lawsuit challenging restrictions on offshore drilling announced in the waning days of the Biden administration.  Full Story FEMA, wildfires loom large in Noem hearing Democrats on the Senate Homeland Security Committee pressed Kristi Noem, President-elect Trump's nominee for secretary of Homeland Security, on whether she would apply conditions to or withhold disaster aid based on politics at her confirmation hearing Friday.  Full Story Southern California's next potential threat? Floods, landslides and toxic debris flows As devastating wildfires continue to ravage the Los Angeles metropolitan region, local officials are warning of potential floods, landslides and toxic debris flows in the weeks and months ahead.  Full Story In Other News  Branch out with a different read from The Hill: How California's catastrophic wildfires are inflaming the state's insurance crisis The wildfires scorching Southern California are turning entire neighborhoods into ash, decimating expensive properties and exacerbating an insurance crisis that predates the infernal blazes.  … Full Story What We're Reading  News we've flagged from other outlets touching on energy issues, the environment and other topics: U.S. electricity demand is set to explode. That will make it harder to cut climate pollution (NPR)   India is staring at an 'oil shock' as U.S. sanctions on Russian crude loom (CNBC) Top financial watchdog warns climate change set to trigger market panics (The Financial Times) On Our Radar  Upcoming news themes and events we're watching:   Next Week: The House could take up the Fix our Forests Act Monday: President-elect Trump will be inaugurated. Wednesday The House Energy & Commerce Committee's Subcommittee on Environment will hold a hearing titled "A Decade Later: Assessing the Legacy and Impact of the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act."   Thursday The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee will vote on whether to advance Lee Zeldin's confirmation. The House Natural Resources Committee's Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife and Fisheries will hold a hearing on four pieces of pending legislation. What Others are Reading  Two key stories on The Hill right now: Supreme Court upholds TikTok ban The Supreme Court on Friday unanimously upheld a law requiring TikTok's China-based parent company to divest from the app, teeing up a ban set to take effect Sunday.  Read more Kevin O'Leary says he's offering $20B cash for TikTok Investor Kevin O'Leary, widely known as a star from "Shark Tank," said he offered TikTok's owners $20 billion in cash to buy the platform during a Friday appearance on Fox News's "America's Newsroom." Read more Opinions in The Hill  Op-eds related to energy & environment submitted to The Hill: Why the climate and sustainability economy will thrive in a Trump presidency      You're all caught up. See you Monday!  Check out The Hill's Energy & Environment page for the latest coverage. Like this newsletter? 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