democracynow--2020-12-18--The Pandemic Pipeline: Land & Water Defenders Continue Resistance to Enbridge Line 3 in Minnesota

This is a rush transcript .
Copy may not be in its final form .
AMY GOODMAN : And the significance of her going to Standing Rock ?
Which brings us to Enbridge 3 and what this is all about , these very similar struggles .
And if you can make the connections ?
Back in 2016 , I was with you at Standing Rock covering what you were doing .
You pitched your tent there .
And Deb Haaland was there also .
WINONA LADUKE : Yes , she was .
A lot of people came to Standing Rock @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s this moment in time that we realized that the rights of corporations have superseded the rights of people .
And the question is , you know , let us protect our water .
The Standing Rock DAPL battle came after our successful defeat of Enbridge in the Sandpiper , a fracked-oil pipeline that Enbridge wanted to put through our territory .
You know , after that project was canceled in 2016 , the company picked up , purchased 28 % of the Dakota Access pipeline and proceeded to ram a pipeline through @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , in North Dakota , and was faced with all of the water protectors .
And so , what we ’ ve seen is that this is the end of the fossil fuel era .
I mean , the fact is , is that the price of oil was — I think , was at minus- $ 38 a barrel in the spring .
I mean , that was in even my economics class .
And then you had this reduction in oil consumption , the crashing of the tar sands industry — @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bailing out of the tar sands — and the closure of refineries in the United States .
And so , we ’ re at this point in time where the industry is ending , and there is certainly no reason to approve a new tar sands pipeline .
You know , it ’ s like the last tar sands pipeline at the end of the fossil fuel era .
So , we are sitting here in northern Minnesota , and we have been standing against Enbridge ’ s proposal , you know , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all — you know , 70,000 people came out and testified against this pipeline .
For seven years , we ’ ve been saying this is a bad idea .
It was a really bad idea when it was initially proposed .
And now in 2020 , with both the price of oil , the state of climate disaster we are in , and the projections in the future for , you know , moving towards electric cars , there is no need for this pipeline .
There wasn ’ t a need @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a need now , certainly .
And yet Enbridge is trying to shove it through .
We call this the pandemic pipeline .
I mean , Governor Walz from Minnesota — really remarkable decision — approved all of the permits for the Enbridge Line 3 pipeline .
A day later , Governor Whitmer of Michigan withdrew the easements for the Enbridge pipeline project underneath the Straits of Mackinac , citing the public trust doctrine , you know , saying that the interests of the people in the state superseded the interests of a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ comparison , because we ’ re sitting here in northern Minnesota , 65- , 66-year-old women are getting arrested , minus-2 degrees out there , to protect our water .
You know , all kind of people are getting arrested .
All kind of people are coming up here .
And it ’ s a pandemic .
You know , what we see is , Walz approved 4,200 workers coming in from out of state .
These are pipeline workers from other failed projects , like the Keystone XL , you know , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ They ’ re coming in from Texas .
They ’ re coming in from Utah , from Wyoming , from Michigan , to put in a pipeline that nobody wants .
And it ’ s really brutal up here .
So , you know , what we see is an opportunity for change .
AMY GOODMAN : I want to go to Shanai Matteson , one of the protesters who came out Tuesday for a demonstration outside an Enbridge Energy office in Minnesota .
AMY GOODMAN : So , that ’ s Shanai @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a Tuesday action .
Earlier this month , an Anishinaabe woman named Dawn Goodwin sat in front of a machine that was brought in to clear trees for construction .
If you can also describe that scene and the various direct actions and protests that are taking place ?
You described the action of the Minnesota governor .
He is a Democrat .
WINONA LADUKE : Yes , that ’ s right .
And , you know , for some reason , Tim Walz thought this was a good idea , the end @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , this is like blood oil , when you ’ ve got people getting arrested , it ’ s minus-2 degrees , you ’ ve got all this brutality occurring in the north — and in the middle of a pandemic , where you import all these workers , and you only got four ICU beds in the county .
So much conflict .
In the end of it , he ’ s going to have 23 jobs .
What a poor decision he ’ s made .
You know , what we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ just transition .
You know , in Minnesota , we ’ re going to be fighting over rocks and pipes for the rest of our lives , you know , and rocks and pipes for the rest of our lives and for the next 20 years , unless we come up with a better plan , one that could bring local jobs .
And that ’ s what Shanai is talking about , because all people have been given here is project proposals by multinational corporations , and it ’ s really time @ @ @ @ @ @ @ You know , across the line , there are people opposing this pipeline , and we are just getting started .
In addition to that , our tribes all filed , along with citizens ’ organizations , appeals for every step of the process , including the certificate of need and the route permit that was issued by the state of Minnesota .
I mean , they don ’ t have a spill plan for Lake Superior .
They couldn ’ t meet the water quality standards .
And their need projections were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be , not the reality of a decreased demand for oil .
You know , so here we are , standing here and watching the crunching of our forests .
These giant machines called a feller buncher , they rot — they drive through and just destroy and consume forests in this pathway of death that Enbridge is bringing here to northern Minnesota .
You know , so we were sitting there praying at our lodge , and Dawn seeing that machine coming , and she was just so upset with it .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ she just sat and was crying and was shaking .
An then she ’ s praying .
And the next thing you know , Dawn Goodwin has stopped a machine .
And that machine has not restarted .
That machine has not restarted on the banks of the Mississippi River , where our people still stand .
AMY GOODMAN : So , I wanted to also ask you about another issue .
This has to do with sports news .
The Cleveland Indians baseball team has announced it ’ s changing its name @ @ @ @ @ @ @ advocates and fans .
I wanted to ask you about the whole issue .
Interestingly , the team was named over a hundred years ago for a Native American player .
That had not been recognized .
But Indigenous groups have been fighting for decades .
The Indian Psychologists ’ Association put out a letter saying , “ This demeans us.
” This , of course , follows the removal of the name of the Washington national team , as it ’ s referred to now — its former name will not go @ @ @ @ @ @ @ what it means to you .
WINONA LADUKE : I think it ’ s really a reclaiming of our right to define who we are , not having someone else say who we are .
You know , being a mom , being a grandma , you know , you see these kids , and all of a sudden they see this big sign for Indians has nothing to do with them .
You know , it has really been an appropriation of who we are , and making a lot of money @ @ @ @ @ @ @ years and a lot of disparaging chants and such things .
You know , we ’ re done .
We ’ re done .
And , you know , it ’ s an interesting year .
I mean , we ’ ve all been here .
And in my life , I didn ’ t expect to see so many statues falling .
How many years did we try to get those Columbus statues to fall ?
Many years .
They ’ re all down .
And then here , the names are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ social movement of justice and people ’ s right to say who they are is surging .
And I ’ m really just grateful to this transition in names and being able to move forward .
You know , I ’ ve got some questions about sports teams in general , you know , but let ’ s leave us out of it .
And let ’ s affirm Native people for who we are .
And how about a little bit more respect in general ?
Like , how about our water @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about our language ?
How about our sacred sites ?
That ’ d be good .
You don ’ t need to chant about me .
You just need to — let ’ s just talk about what justice looks like .
AMY GOODMAN : Winona , you were a Green Party candidate for vice president , along with Ralph Nader , when he was running for president .
As you look at the incoming administration shaping up and the battle going on in Congress right now — you have Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez calling @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you want to see ?
What have you been concerned about in this lame-duck period , in this transition period ?
And what do you feel needs to happen , this on the fifth anniversary of the Paris Climate Agreement ?
WINONA LADUKE : Well , it ’ s obvious that the Trump administration has been trying to shove through every bad idea possible in their final days .
And we ’ ve seen that , you know , most of those are being challenged in court , and the rest of them @ @ @ @ @ @ @ because what Trump has done is just make a mess , you know , a worse mess than ever .
But what we really need is new leadership .
I mean , the fact is , is that what we ’ ve seen is a bunch of guys looking at the playbook that was written in the last century .
In a time of climate disaster , the fact is , is that you don ’ t need any more fossil fuels .
What you need is a just transition .
We need @ @ @ @ @ @ @ matter , instead of import everything from someplace else .
We need to rebuild kind of a manufacturing sector in this country , so that we have real jobs for real people here , that is based on justice and not based on huge amounts of toxic contamination .
You need to build a renewable energy sector .
I mean , I sit here in northern Minnesota , and the irony of it is , is you ’ re looking at pipes moving , and right behind them are wind turbine parts moving @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the port of Duluth , the furthest-inland port , because they all get imported from overseas , from Europe and from China .
We don ’ t make wind turbine parts in this country .
We import them , by and large , from overseas .
And so , you see these small rural roads in the north full of pipelines and full of wind turbine parts .
And I ’ m like , let ’ s just move on .
Time to move on .
Let ’ s quit fighting over @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s move into something where we have an economy that ’ s not based on conflict .
That ’ s the opportunity for this administration ; that ’ s the opportunity for the Walz administration — to move on , to make a just transition , to build an economy based on peace , respect and justice .
That ’ s what we want .
AMY GOODMAN : And , Winona , last question , in this time of the pandemic .
We just have 20 seconds .
But it has ripped through @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the situation ?
WINONA LADUKE : Yeah .
I mean , my community itself has lost some people , and more and more of us are getting lost .
We ’ re the highest-risk people , you know , in Minnesota , are Native people .
And we just want — you know , we are doing our best to stay safe .
And we didn ’ t appreciate the 4,200 workers that Governor Walz brought into our communities .
You know , now is the time to stay safe , stay isolated @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will surely come , when we will plant new seeds , you know , of hope , justice and food for our people .
AMY GOODMAN : Winona LaDuke , we thank you so much for being with us , executive director of Honor the Earth .
I ’ m looking forward to your upcoming book , To Be a Water Protector .
When we come back , we go to Kabul , Afghanistan .
A shocking new exposé reveals CIA-trained and -funded Afghan death squads have targeted Islamic religious schools , killing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
We ’ ll speak with the reporter .
Stay with us .

This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.
AMY GOODMAN: And the significance of her going to Standing Rock? Which brings us to Enbridge 3 and what this is all about, these very similar struggles. And if you can make the connections? Back in 2016, I was with you at Standing Rock covering what you were doing. You pitched your tent there. And Deb Haaland was there also.
WINONA LADUKE: Yes, she was. A lot of people came to Standing Rock and were politicized, because it’s this moment in time that we realized that the rights of corporations have superseded the rights of people. And the question is, you know, let us protect our water.
The Standing Rock DAPL battle came after our successful defeat of Enbridge in the Sandpiper, a fracked-oil pipeline that Enbridge wanted to put through our territory. You know, after that project was canceled in 2016, the company picked up, purchased 28% of the Dakota Access pipeline and proceeded to ram a pipeline through — really bad idea — you know, in North Dakota, and was faced with all of the water protectors.
And so, what we’ve seen is that this is the end of the fossil fuel era. I mean, the fact is, is that the price of oil was — I think, was at minus-$38 a barrel in the spring. I mean, that was in even my economics class. And then you had this reduction in oil consumption, the crashing of the tar sands industry — I mean, company after company is bailing out of the tar sands — and the closure of refineries in the United States. And so, we’re at this point in time where the industry is ending, and there is certainly no reason to approve a new tar sands pipeline. You know, it’s like the last tar sands pipeline at the end of the fossil fuel era.
So, we are sitting here in northern Minnesota, and we have been standing against Enbridge’s proposal, you know, for seven years. The Anishinaabe, all — you know, 70,000 people came out and testified against this pipeline. For seven years, we’ve been saying this is a bad idea. It was a really bad idea when it was initially proposed. And now in 2020, with both the price of oil, the state of climate disaster we are in, and the projections in the future for, you know, moving towards electric cars, there is no need for this pipeline. There wasn’t a need before, and there’s not a need now, certainly.
And yet Enbridge is trying to shove it through. We call this the pandemic pipeline. I mean, Governor Walz from Minnesota — really remarkable decision — approved all of the permits for the Enbridge Line 3 pipeline. A day later, Governor Whitmer of Michigan withdrew the easements for the Enbridge pipeline project underneath the Straits of Mackinac, citing the public trust doctrine, you know, saying that the interests of the people in the state superseded the interests of a Canadian multinational corporation. Really a stark comparison, because we’re sitting here in northern Minnesota, 65-, 66-year-old women are getting arrested, minus-2 degrees out there, to protect our water. You know, all kind of people are getting arrested. All kind of people are coming up here. And it’s a pandemic.
You know, what we see is, Walz approved 4,200 workers coming in from out of state. These are pipeline workers from other failed projects, like the Keystone XL, you know, all the other failed pipeline projects. They’re coming in from Texas. They’re coming in from Utah, from Wyoming, from Michigan, to put in a pipeline that nobody wants. And it’s really brutal up here. So, you know, what we see is an opportunity for change.
AMY GOODMAN: I want to go to Shanai Matteson, one of the protesters who came out Tuesday for a demonstration outside an Enbridge Energy office in Minnesota.
SHANAI MATTESON: My name is Shanai, and I came over here from northern Aitkin County, where Enbridge is already getting ready to drill beneath the Willow River and the Mississippi River. And that’s where my family has been for five generations. It’s the place where my grandma was born. And it really hurts to see how much destruction has been done in just the last two weeks. So I’m standing here in support of and in allyship with the Native-led movement to stop Line 3, but also because I am tired of my people being lied to, you know, that these are the good jobs, destroying the place that we come from.
AMY GOODMAN: So, that’s Shanai Matteson, one of the protesters at a Tuesday action. Earlier this month, an Anishinaabe woman named Dawn Goodwin sat in front of a machine that was brought in to clear trees for construction. If you can also describe that scene and the various direct actions and protests that are taking place? You described the action of the Minnesota governor. He is a Democrat.
WINONA LADUKE: Yes, that’s right. And, you know, for some reason, Tim Walz thought this was a good idea, the end of all this conflict. You know, this is like blood oil, when you’ve got people getting arrested, it’s minus-2 degrees, you’ve got all this brutality occurring in the north — and in the middle of a pandemic, where you import all these workers, and you only got four ICU beds in the county. So much conflict. In the end of it, he’s going to have 23 jobs. What a poor decision he’s made.
You know, what we really want is the opportunity for a just transition. You know, in Minnesota, we’re going to be fighting over rocks and pipes for the rest of our lives, you know, and rocks and pipes for the rest of our lives and for the next 20 years, unless we come up with a better plan, one that could bring local jobs. And that’s what Shanai is talking about, because all people have been given here is project proposals by multinational corporations, and it’s really time for far more vision than that. You know, across the line, there are people opposing this pipeline, and we are just getting started.
In addition to that, our tribes all filed, along with citizens’ organizations, appeals for every step of the process, including the certificate of need and the route permit that was issued by the state of Minnesota. I mean, they don’t have a spill plan for Lake Superior. They couldn’t meet the water quality standards. And their need projections were based on what Enbridge wished need would be, not the reality of a decreased demand for oil.
You know, so here we are, standing here and watching the crunching of our forests. These giant machines called a feller buncher, they rot — they drive through and just destroy and consume forests in this pathway of death that Enbridge is bringing here to northern Minnesota. You know, so we were sitting there praying at our lodge, and Dawn seeing that machine coming, and she was just so upset with it. You know, she sat, and she just sat and was crying and was shaking. An then she’s praying. And the next thing you know, Dawn Goodwin has stopped a machine. And that machine has not restarted. That machine has not restarted on the banks of the Mississippi River, where our people still stand.
AMY GOODMAN: So, I wanted to also ask you about another issue. This has to do with sports news. The Cleveland Indians baseball team has announced it’s changing its name after years of protests from Native American advocates and fans. I wanted to ask you about the whole issue. Interestingly, the team was named over a hundred years ago for a Native American player. That had not been recognized. But Indigenous groups have been fighting for decades. The Indian Psychologists’ Association put out a letter saying, “This demeans us.” This, of course, follows the removal of the name of the Washington national team, as it’s referred to now — its former name will not go mentioned. Talk about this movement and what it means to you.
WINONA LADUKE: I think it’s really a reclaiming of our right to define who we are, not having someone else say who we are. You know, being a mom, being a grandma, you know, you see these kids, and all of a sudden they see this big sign for Indians has nothing to do with them. You know, it has really been an appropriation of who we are, and making a lot of money off of Native people for all these years and a lot of disparaging chants and such things. You know, we’re done. We’re done.
And, you know, it’s an interesting year. I mean, we’ve all been here. And in my life, I didn’t expect to see so many statues falling. How many years did we try to get those Columbus statues to fall? Many years. They’re all down. And then here, the names are going, too.
So, the social movement of justice and people’s right to say who they are is surging. And I’m really just grateful to this transition in names and being able to move forward. You know, I’ve got some questions about sports teams in general, you know, but let’s leave us out of it. And let’s affirm Native people for who we are. And how about a little bit more respect in general? Like, how about our water? How about our land? How about our language? How about our sacred sites? That’d be good. You don’t need to chant about me. You just need to — let’s just talk about what justice looks like.
AMY GOODMAN: Winona, you were a Green Party candidate for vice president, along with Ralph Nader, when he was running for president. As you look at the incoming administration shaping up and the battle going on in Congress right now — you have Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez calling for new Democratic leadership — what do you want to see? What have you been concerned about in this lame-duck period, in this transition period? And what do you feel needs to happen, this on the fifth anniversary of the Paris Climate Agreement?
WINONA LADUKE: Well, it’s obvious that the Trump administration has been trying to shove through every bad idea possible in their final days. And we’ve seen that, you know, most of those are being challenged in court, and the rest of them will be challenged, as well, because what Trump has done is just make a mess, you know, a worse mess than ever.
But what we really need is new leadership. I mean, the fact is, is that what we’ve seen is a bunch of guys looking at the playbook that was written in the last century. In a time of climate disaster, the fact is, is that you don’t need any more fossil fuels. What you need is a just transition. We need to make things in this country that matter, instead of import everything from someplace else. We need to rebuild kind of a manufacturing sector in this country, so that we have real jobs for real people here, that is based on justice and not based on huge amounts of toxic contamination.
You need to build a renewable energy sector. I mean, I sit here in northern Minnesota, and the irony of it is, is you’re looking at pipes moving, and right behind them are wind turbine parts moving. And they’re coming in to the port of Duluth, the furthest-inland port, because they all get imported from overseas, from Europe and from China. We don’t make wind turbine parts in this country. We import them, by and large, from overseas. And so, you see these small rural roads in the north full of pipelines and full of wind turbine parts.
And I’m like, let’s just move on. Time to move on. Let’s quit fighting over rocks and pipes, and let’s move into something where we have an economy that’s not based on conflict. That’s the opportunity for this administration; that’s the opportunity for the Walz administration — to move on, to make a just transition, to build an economy based on peace, respect and justice. That’s what we want.
AMY GOODMAN: And, Winona, last question, in this time of the pandemic. We just have 20 seconds. But it has ripped through Native America. Can you talk about the situation?
WINONA LADUKE: Yeah. I mean, my community itself has lost some people, and more and more of us are getting lost. We’re the highest-risk people, you know, in Minnesota, are Native people. And we just want — you know, we are doing our best to stay safe. And we didn’t appreciate the 4,200 workers that Governor Walz brought into our communities. You know, now is the time to stay safe, stay isolated and prepare for spring, because spring will surely come, when we will plant new seeds, you know, of hope, justice and food for our people.
AMY GOODMAN: Winona LaDuke, we thank you so much for being with us, executive director of Honor the Earth. I’m looking forward to your upcoming book, To Be a Water Protector.
When we come back, we go to Kabul, Afghanistan. A shocking new exposé reveals CIA-trained and -funded Afghan death squads have targeted Islamic religious schools, killing boys as young as 8 years old. We’ll speak with the reporter. Stay with us.


democracynow--2020-12-18--Winona LaDuke: Deb Haaland's Nomination for Interior Sec. Is "Important Step" for Native Americans

This is a rush transcript .
Copy may not be in its final form .
AMY GOODMAN : This is Democracy Now !
, democracynow.org , The Quarantine Report .
I ’ m Amy Goodman .
President-elect Joe Biden has nominated New Mexico Congressmember Deb Haaland to become secretary of the interior .
If confirmed , she ’ ll be the first Native American to serve in a Cabinet position .
Haaland ’ s nomination was backed by progressives , as well as more than 120 tribal leaders , who sent a letter to Joe Biden last month urging him @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Haaland responded in a statement , quote , “ As our country faces the impacts of climate change and environmental injustice , the Interior has a role and I will be a partner in addressing these challenges by protecting our public lands and moving our country towards a clean energy future , ” she said .
Journalist Julian Brave NoiseCat tweeted , “ After four years of fossil fuel executives and lobbyists opening up Native lands and sacred sites to industry tycoons , the next Secretary of Interior will be a Laguna Pueblo @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2016 and cooked for the people , ” unquote .
Deb Haaland ’ s appointment comes as the struggle against the Enbridge Line 3 pipeline continues in Minnesota after construction began two weeks ago .
Indigenous and environmental activists have been holding daily protests against the project , which would carry tar sands oil from Alberta , Canada , to a terminal in Superior , Wisconsin , cutting through Indigenous territory and running under more than 200 streams .
On Monday , 22 water protectors were arrested in the freezing cold at a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for more on Deb Haaland ’ s historic nomination and the ongoing resistance at Line 3 , we ’ re joined in Sandy Lake , Minnesota , by Winona LaDuke , executive director of Honor the Earth and rural development economist .
She is the author of the upcoming book , To Be a Water Protector .
Winona lives and works on the White Earth Reservation in northern Minnesota .
Winona , welcome back to Democracy Now !
Can you start off by talking about the significance of Deb Haaland to be the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Department , if approved by the Senate — not to mention to be a Cabinet member , as far as we know ?
You are a longtime supporter of her , back to when she ran for Congress .
WINONA LADUKE : I just want to say one thing : [ ululation ] .
That would be an affirmation from all of us over here in Indian Country .
You know , that was a very , very important step for the Biden administration .
You know , Indian people know how to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Deb Haaland comes from Laguna Pueblo , which has one of the largest uranium mining histories in this country .
And I just want to really — you know , the Anaconda uranium mine destroying so much of their territory .
Really grateful for this and this new — this vision that we ’ re going to have .
There ’ s a lot of work to do to undo what the Trump administration has done .
And we are really , really grateful that the Biden administration has taken these steps .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ about what Deb Haaland stands for — she is a congressmember from New Mexico ; she talked immediately about sustainable development — and what the Interior Department does ?
WINONA LADUKE : Well , the Interior Department is kind of like the “ Great White Father ” of Indian people .
And so , mines and Indians are both in the same department .
And what ’ s happened is , is that the Interior Department and the federal government has basically given away so much of the land , water and resources @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and previous administrations .
And so , you know , let ’ s just say the public lands and the Native lands should be protected for the public and the Natives , not necessarily some mining corporations .
Deb ’ s history here with a vision that she and other leaders have had in Washington with a just transition and the Green New Deal is exactly what we need in this country .
We don ’ t need any more fossil fuels .
We ’ re done .
We ’ re done .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ a just transition .
AMY GOODMAN : And who has run the Interior Department before ?
I mean , what have been the policies before ?
And what are the pressures she ’ ll be under ?
Many have talked about Joe Biden ’ s Cabinet being largely still from corporate establishment America , and certainly Deb Haaland comes from a very different place .
WINONA LADUKE : Yeah , I mean , I ’ m sure that Deb can stand up to the challenges , and she ’ ll have a lot @ @ @ @ @ @ @ think that we should be done with appointing corporate heads to run parts of our government .
They have enough influence already .
And so , in this moment in time , you have vast territories of lands that she is going to be able to look at and really provide some redress from what the Trump administration has done , basically deconstructing any environmental regulations we had and any protection of “ public lands ” that we had .
You know , so significant prior to this , all white males in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ re really grateful that the new administration has seen the merits of the championship of the environment and of Native people of someone like Deb Haaland .

This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.
AMY GOODMAN: This is Democracy Now!, democracynow.org, The Quarantine Report. I’m Amy Goodman.
President-elect Joe Biden has nominated New Mexico Congressmember Deb Haaland to become secretary of the interior. If confirmed, she’ll be the first Native American to serve in a Cabinet position. Haaland’s nomination was backed by progressives, as well as more than 120 tribal leaders, who sent a letter to Joe Biden last month urging him to select her for the post.
Haaland responded in a statement, quote, “As our country faces the impacts of climate change and environmental injustice, the Interior has a role and I will be a partner in addressing these challenges by protecting our public lands and moving our country towards a clean energy future,” she said.
Journalist Julian Brave NoiseCat tweeted, “After four years of fossil fuel executives and lobbyists opening up Native lands and sacred sites to industry tycoons, the next Secretary of Interior will be a Laguna Pueblo woman who went to Standing Rock in 2016 and cooked for the people,” unquote.
Deb Haaland’s appointment comes as the struggle against the Enbridge Line 3 pipeline continues in Minnesota after construction began two weeks ago. Indigenous and environmental activists have been holding daily protests against the project, which would carry tar sands oil from Alberta, Canada, to a terminal in Superior, Wisconsin, cutting through Indigenous territory and running under more than 200 streams. On Monday, 22 water protectors were arrested in the freezing cold at a Line 3 construction site.
Well, for more on Deb Haaland’s historic nomination and the ongoing resistance at Line 3, we’re joined in Sandy Lake, Minnesota, by Winona LaDuke, executive director of Honor the Earth and rural development economist. She is the author of the upcoming book, To Be a Water Protector. Winona lives and works on the White Earth Reservation in northern Minnesota.
Winona, welcome back to Democracy Now! Can you start off by talking about the significance of Deb Haaland to be the first Native American to head the Interior Department, if approved by the Senate — not to mention to be a Cabinet member, as far as we know? You are a longtime supporter of her, back to when she ran for Congress.
WINONA LADUKE: I just want to say one thing: [ululation]. That would be an affirmation from all of us over here in Indian Country.
You know, that was a very, very important step for the Biden administration. You know, Indian people know how to take care of this land. And Deb Haaland comes from Laguna Pueblo, which has one of the largest uranium mining histories in this country. And I just want to really — you know, the Anaconda uranium mine destroying so much of their territory.
Really grateful for this and this new — this vision that we’re going to have. There’s a lot of work to do to undo what the Trump administration has done. And we are really, really grateful that the Biden administration has taken these steps.
AMY GOODMAN: And can you talk about what Deb Haaland stands for — she is a congressmember from New Mexico; she talked immediately about sustainable development — and what the Interior Department does?
WINONA LADUKE: Well, the Interior Department is kind of like the “Great White Father” of Indian people. And so, mines and Indians are both in the same department. And what’s happened is, is that the Interior Department and the federal government has basically given away so much of the land, water and resources of Indian Country under the Trump administration and previous administrations. And so, you know, let’s just say the public lands and the Native lands should be protected for the public and the Natives, not necessarily some mining corporations.
Deb’s history here with a vision that she and other leaders have had in Washington with a just transition and the Green New Deal is exactly what we need in this country. We don’t need any more fossil fuels. We’re done. We’re done. What we need is the vision and a just transition.
AMY GOODMAN: And who has run the Interior Department before? I mean, what have been the policies before? And what are the pressures she’ll be under? Many have talked about Joe Biden’s Cabinet being largely still from corporate establishment America, and certainly Deb Haaland comes from a very different place.
WINONA LADUKE: Yeah, I mean, I’m sure that Deb can stand up to the challenges, and she’ll have a lot of support. I mean, I think that we should be done with appointing corporate heads to run parts of our government. They have enough influence already.
And so, in this moment in time, you have vast territories of lands that she is going to be able to look at and really provide some redress from what the Trump administration has done, basically deconstructing any environmental regulations we had and any protection of “public lands” that we had. You know, so significant prior to this, all white males in this position. And so we’re really grateful that the new administration has seen the merits of the championship of the environment and of Native people of someone like Deb Haaland.


democracynow--2020-12-18--Evictions Are Violence: Millions Could Lose Homes Amid COVID Pandemic If Federal Moratorium Expires

This is a rush transcript .
Copy may not be in its final form .
AMY GOODMAN : As U.S. hospitalizations from COVID-19 hit another record high , we begin today ’ s show looking at the crisis of evictions and how millions across the country could be forced to leave their homes in the middle of the pandemic if Congress does not extend the federal eviction moratorium that ’ s due to expire at the end of the year .
Congress is expected to extend the moratorium by one month , to January 31st , in the $ 900 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Washington .
But this is just a temporary fix .
The U.S. Census Bureau reports one-third of U.S. households are behind on rent or mortgage payments and will likely face eviction or foreclosure in the next two months .
Meanwhile , many have already faced eviction despite the national moratorium .
New research finds more than 400,000 COVID-19 cases and nearly 11,000 deaths resulted from evictions , after many states allowed eviction moratoriums to expire over the summer .
The co-author of this research joins us now in Los Angeles , California @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Kathryn Leifheit is a researcher at UCLA ’ s Fielding School of Public Health .
And in Kansas City , we ’ re joined by Tara Raghuveer , director of KC Tenants , a tenants ’ rights organization in Kansas City , director of the national campaign Homes Guarantee .
We welcome you both to Democracy Now !
Tara , let ’ s begin with you in Kansas City .
Lay out the national problem that we ’ re seeing here — record deaths , record hospitalizations , record infections around the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ evictions is due to end at the end of this year , in just a few weeks .
TARA RAGHUVEER : It ’ s important to realize that the federal moratorium that ’ s due to end wasn ’ t good enough to begin with .
It didn ’ t come until September , and that was months after people in places like Kansas City had been evicted and forced to the streets in the middle of a global pandemic .
The CDC moratorium only covers one type of eviction , and those @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It leaves a lot open to local interpretation , and it puts the burden on tenants to apply for that protection .
So the CDC moratorium was not good enough .
But the CDC moratorium allowed to expire at the end of the month leaves hundreds of thousands , millions of families vulnerable to eviction within the first 20 days of the next year .
AMY GOODMAN : And explain the difference between federal evictions and other evictions .
How is it — what does federal apply to ?
TARA RAGHUVEER : So @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , to every property in the country and was available for any tenant who needed protection .
Previously there was only eviction protection for buildings that got some kind of federal financing , but in September the CDC went further than that .
The problem , though , was that the federal moratorium left a lot to local interpretation .
So , here in Kansas City , for example , the presiding judge of our circuit court decided that he was still going to allow landlords to file evictions , and the judges @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and they were still going to issue eviction judgments for those cases where the tenant hadn ’ t gotten the right information to protect themselves under the CDC moratorium .
AMY GOODMAN : So , you recently tweeted out , Tara , “ If people get checks but we don ’ t # CancelRent , those aren ’ t stimulus checks , they ’ re an industry bailout.
” Explain .
TARA RAGHUVEER : The tenants in the streets , the tenants in their homes have been demanding rent and mortgage cancellation since @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that in the face of unprecedented public health and economic crisis , they should not be responsible for what is the largest bill for every American family across race and class lines .
But months into the pandemic , tenants are still being held responsible for their rent payment .
And the fact is that the rent eats first .
That is to say , if a family gets a check , whether it ’ s for $ 600 or $ 1,200 , that money goes first to their landlord .
So that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ does not put food on the table .
That does not help their family survive this traumatic moment .
All that does is enrich the property owner to whom they owe their rent .
AMY GOODMAN : In November , members of KC Tenants were detained by police when they tried to halt the eviction of a woman from her apartment in Raytown , Missouri , who said she had nowhere else to go .
AMY GOODMAN : Last week , hundreds of protesters marched here in New York , in Brooklyn , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ end to evictions and to cancel rent .
AMY GOODMAN : So , those are sounds from the streets of Brooklyn .
And , of course , that first eviction was right around the issue in Kansas City involving your group , KC Tenants .
If you can talk about what that eviction was all about ?
Often specifics capture people ’ s attention more than the mass numbers , which is horrifying .
And also , even the people throwing people out , like those who are brought in with sheriffs , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , “ I ’ m taking out this person ’ s furniture , and I ’ m probably next.
” TARA RAGHUVEER : That ’ s right .
So , Amana , whose eviction we disrupted in Raytown , Missouri , is a cancer survivor .
She was living by herself .
She wasn ’ t even behind on her rent .
She was being evicted because the property manager was basically sick of her abuser showing up and causing trouble at the apartment complex .
She ’ s a domestic violence survivor @ @ @ @ @ @ @ calling for support in her domestic violence case .
And it was true , she had nowhere to go that night .
So we showed up to execute this kind of blockade as a way of both supporting Amanda and showing her solidarity , but also exposing the fact that sheriff ’ s evictions are still happening right now , because the fact is , for a lot of people who aren ’ t impacted by these types of events , there is the ability to ignore that our state is sanctioning this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to put that on blast , and I think we effectively did so .
And tenants across the country are taking matters into their own hands , shutting down eviction court , shutting down these — or , blockading these types of evictions that sheriffs are executing , as a way of saying that , you know , if we don ’ t have justice , we won ’ t allow for any peace .
AMY GOODMAN : Kathryn Leifheit , you did this major national study at UCLA linking the lifting of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cases and deaths .
Explain what you found .
KATHRYN LEIFHEIT : Right .
So , to understand this relationship between evictions and COVID in this context of a pandemic , we looked at eviction moratoriums that were implemented and then lifted at the state level .
So , 44 states — or , 43 states and the District of Columbia implemented an eviction moratorium between March and September , and then 27 of those states went on to lift the moratorium over the summer .
So what we did is we compared @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to those that kept their moratoriums in place , and we found that the states that lifted their moratoriums had 430,000 more COVID cases and over 10,000 more COVID deaths .
So , we think these deaths are preventable , and they could have been prevented had those moratoriums been kept in place .
KATHRYN LEIFHEIT : Right .
So , when people get evicted , often they have limited options about where they go next .
You know , these things happen very quickly , and they ’ re violent , as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ often move in with friends or family , if they have that option .
If not , they might enter a homeless shelter .
And both of those things increase your number of household contacts .
They increase crowding .
And we know that household transmission and crowding are two of the main mechanisms that drive up COVID transmission .
And it ’ s important to note that this doesn ’ t only increase COVID risk for folks who get evicted , but for the entire community .
AMY GOODMAN : The study @ @ @ @ @ @ @ decided to get it out even in advance at that .
Why ?
KATHRYN LEIFHEIT : Right .
So , we thought that this was such urgently needed evidence for advocates and policymakers .
The study is awaiting peer review , but we wanted to make sure that policymakers had these numbers in hand as they ’ re making decisions about rent relief and whether or not to extend state and national eviction moratoriums .
AMY GOODMAN : You know , it ’ s interesting .
I don ’ t know how many @ @ @ @ @ @ @ moratorium was issued by the CDC , the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , which really underscores the connection between evictions and public health , Kathryn .
KATHRYN LEIFHEIT : Yes , that ’ s right .
So , I did my dissertation looking at links between eviction moratoriums and chronic health outcomes , so things like birth outcomes when pregnant moms experience eviction , or food insecurity , cognitive development , lead poisoning for children .
So we ’ ve been talking about eviction as a public health problem for a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ CDC come out in the context of the pandemic and say that this was their rationale for the moratorium was really powerful .
AMY GOODMAN : And we have to wrap up soon , but I do want to ask you which communities are most impacted .
KATHRYN LEIFHEIT : Right .
So , Black and Latinx communities are disproportionately burdened by evictions .
And , of course , those are the same communities that are getting battered by COVID .
So we really worry that these evictions could potentially broaden disparities that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ deaths .
AMY GOODMAN : And your response to Joe Biden choosing Congressmember Fudge to head the HUD , Housing and Urban Development ?
What you think needs to be the new policy around housing , and particularly how it affects children ?
KATHRYN LEIFHEIT : Right .
So , of course , affordable housing isn ’ t a new problem , and we already had a housing affordability crisis before this pandemic .
So , we need to do everything we can to make sure that folks have safe , affordable housing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one crisis or economic shock away from losing their homes .
AMY GOODMAN : And , Tara Raghuveer , as we wrap , if you can talk about the difference that these actions have made when people come out ?
I mean , we ’ re talking about in these next days , this federal moratorium on evictions is scheduled to end .
But even with it in place , so many people are being evicted .
What do you think is the most effective response ?
TARA RAGHUVEER : For us , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ City and in the tenant movement across the country has been to take radical direct action to shut down every instance of evictions .
So we ’ ve been disrupting the remote eviction hearings in court , and we ’ ve been showing up for blockades .
We ’ ve been training others to do the same .
And as far as we ’ re concerned , especially in a state like Missouri , where our governor , where our judges are not listening to tenants , do not care about working people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ do is take action , take collective action , and shut down the rotten systems that are keeping our people in such pain .
AMY GOODMAN : Tara Raghuveer , director of KC Tenants .
Kathryn Leifheit , researcher at UCLA ’ s Fielding School of Public Health , and we will link to your report at democracynow.org .
This is Democracy Now !
, democracynow.org , The Quarantine Report .
When we come back , an historic nomination : first Native American to head the Interior Department .
We ’ ll get @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Stay with us .

This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.
AMY GOODMAN: As U.S. hospitalizations from COVID-19 hit another record high, we begin today’s show looking at the crisis of evictions and how millions across the country could be forced to leave their homes in the middle of the pandemic if Congress does not extend the federal eviction moratorium that’s due to expire at the end of the year. Congress is expected to extend the moratorium by one month, to January 31st, in the $900 billion stimulus bill currently still being debated in Washington. But this is just a temporary fix. The U.S. Census Bureau reports one-third of U.S. households are behind on rent or mortgage payments and will likely face eviction or foreclosure in the next two months. Meanwhile, many have already faced eviction despite the national moratorium.
New research finds more than 400,000 COVID-19 cases and nearly 11,000 deaths resulted from evictions, after many states allowed eviction moratoriums to expire over the summer.
The co-author of this research joins us now in Los Angeles, California, the new epicenter of the pandemic. Kathryn Leifheit is a researcher at UCLA’s Fielding School of Public Health. And in Kansas City, we’re joined by Tara Raghuveer, director of KC Tenants, a tenants’ rights organization in Kansas City, director of the national campaign Homes Guarantee.
We welcome you both to Democracy Now! Tara, let’s begin with you in Kansas City. Lay out the national problem that we’re seeing here — record deaths, record hospitalizations, record infections around the coronavirus. And this federal moratorium on evictions is due to end at the end of this year, in just a few weeks.
TARA RAGHUVEER: It’s important to realize that the federal moratorium that’s due to end wasn’t good enough to begin with. It didn’t come until September, and that was months after people in places like Kansas City had been evicted and forced to the streets in the middle of a global pandemic. The CDC moratorium only covers one type of eviction, and those are evictions for nonpayment of rent. It leaves a lot open to local interpretation, and it puts the burden on tenants to apply for that protection. So the CDC moratorium was not good enough. But the CDC moratorium allowed to expire at the end of the month leaves hundreds of thousands, millions of families vulnerable to eviction within the first 20 days of the next year.
AMY GOODMAN: And explain the difference between federal evictions and other evictions. How is it — what does federal apply to?
TARA RAGHUVEER: So, the CDC moratorium applied, ostensibly, to every property in the country and was available for any tenant who needed protection. Previously there was only eviction protection for buildings that got some kind of federal financing, but in September the CDC went further than that.
The problem, though, was that the federal moratorium left a lot to local interpretation. So, here in Kansas City, for example, the presiding judge of our circuit court decided that he was still going to allow landlords to file evictions, and the judges were still going to hear evictions, and they were still going to issue eviction judgments for those cases where the tenant hadn’t gotten the right information to protect themselves under the CDC moratorium.
AMY GOODMAN: So, you recently tweeted out, Tara, “If people get checks but we don’t #CancelRent, those aren’t stimulus checks, they’re an industry bailout.” Explain.
TARA RAGHUVEER: The tenants in the streets, the tenants in their homes have been demanding rent and mortgage cancellation since March, because tenants were always clear that in the face of unprecedented public health and economic crisis, they should not be responsible for what is the largest bill for every American family across race and class lines. But months into the pandemic, tenants are still being held responsible for their rent payment.
And the fact is that the rent eats first. That is to say, if a family gets a check, whether it’s for $600 or $1,200, that money goes first to their landlord. So that does not stimulate the economy. That does not put food on the table. That does not help their family survive this traumatic moment. All that does is enrich the property owner to whom they owe their rent.
AMY GOODMAN: In November, members of KC Tenants were detained by police when they tried to halt the eviction of a woman from her apartment in Raytown, Missouri, who said she had nowhere else to go.
LANDLORD: Get off the property. The police are coming.
KC TENANTS ACTIVIST 1: Why are you evicting someone in a pandemic?
KC TENANTS ACTIVIST 2: All evictions are an act of violence! All evictions are an act of violence! All evictions are an act of violence! All evictions — ow!
POLICE OFFICER: Stop! Stop. Stop.
AMY GOODMAN: Last week, hundreds of protesters marched here in New York, in Brooklyn, to the housing court, demanding an end to evictions and to cancel rent.
PROTESTERS: We are the tenants! We are the tenants! The mighty, mighty tenants! The mighty, mighty tenants! Fighting for justice! Fighting for justice! Cancel rent! Cancel rent!
AMY GOODMAN: So, those are sounds from the streets of Brooklyn. And, of course, that first eviction was right around the issue in Kansas City involving your group, KC Tenants. If you can talk about what that eviction was all about? Often specifics capture people’s attention more than the mass numbers, which is horrifying. And also, even the people throwing people out, like those who are brought in with sheriffs, you see them online weeping and saying, “I’m taking out this person’s furniture, and I’m probably next.”
TARA RAGHUVEER: That’s right. So, Amana, whose eviction we disrupted in Raytown, Missouri, is a cancer survivor. She was living by herself. She wasn’t even behind on her rent. She was being evicted because the property manager was basically sick of her abuser showing up and causing trouble at the apartment complex. She’s a domestic violence survivor, and she was basically evicted for calling for support in her domestic violence case. And it was true, she had nowhere to go that night.
So we showed up to execute this kind of blockade as a way of both supporting Amanda and showing her solidarity, but also exposing the fact that sheriff’s evictions are still happening right now, because the fact is, for a lot of people who aren’t impacted by these types of events, there is the ability to ignore that our state is sanctioning this kind of violence. So we wanted to put that on blast, and I think we effectively did so.
And tenants across the country are taking matters into their own hands, shutting down eviction court, shutting down these — or, blockading these types of evictions that sheriffs are executing, as a way of saying that, you know, if we don’t have justice, we won’t allow for any peace.
AMY GOODMAN: Kathryn Leifheit, you did this major national study at UCLA linking the lifting of eviction moratoriums to an increase in COVID-19 cases and deaths. Explain what you found.
KATHRYN LEIFHEIT: Right. So, to understand this relationship between evictions and COVID in this context of a pandemic, we looked at eviction moratoriums that were implemented and then lifted at the state level. So, 44 states — or, 43 states and the District of Columbia implemented an eviction moratorium between March and September, and then 27 of those states went on to lift the moratorium over the summer.
So what we did is we compared the states that had lifted their moratoriums to those that kept their moratoriums in place, and we found that the states that lifted their moratoriums had 430,000 more COVID cases and over 10,000 more COVID deaths. So, we think these deaths are preventable, and they could have been prevented had those moratoriums been kept in place.
AMY GOODMAN: Explain more explicitly the connection.
KATHRYN LEIFHEIT: Right. So, when people get evicted, often they have limited options about where they go next. You know, these things happen very quickly, and they’re violent, as Tara has been explaining. So people often move in with friends or family, if they have that option. If not, they might enter a homeless shelter. And both of those things increase your number of household contacts. They increase crowding. And we know that household transmission and crowding are two of the main mechanisms that drive up COVID transmission. And it’s important to note that this doesn’t only increase COVID risk for folks who get evicted, but for the entire community.
AMY GOODMAN: The study wasn’t peer-reviewed, but you decided to get it out even in advance at that. Why?
KATHRYN LEIFHEIT: Right. So, we thought that this was such urgently needed evidence for advocates and policymakers. The study is awaiting peer review, but we wanted to make sure that policymakers had these numbers in hand as they’re making decisions about rent relief and whether or not to extend state and national eviction moratoriums.
AMY GOODMAN: You know, it’s interesting. I don’t know how many people picked up on — this federal moratorium was issued by the CDC, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which really underscores the connection between evictions and public health, Kathryn.
KATHRYN LEIFHEIT: Yes, that’s right. So, I did my dissertation looking at links between eviction moratoriums and chronic health outcomes, so things like birth outcomes when pregnant moms experience eviction, or food insecurity, cognitive development, lead poisoning for children. So we’ve been talking about eviction as a public health problem for a while. But then to have the CDC come out in the context of the pandemic and say that this was their rationale for the moratorium was really powerful.
AMY GOODMAN: And we have to wrap up soon, but I do want to ask you which communities are most impacted.
KATHRYN LEIFHEIT: Right. So, Black and Latinx communities are disproportionately burdened by evictions. And, of course, those are the same communities that are getting battered by COVID. So we really worry that these evictions could potentially broaden disparities that are already wide in COVID cases and deaths.
AMY GOODMAN: And your response to Joe Biden choosing Congressmember Fudge to head the HUD, Housing and Urban Development? What you think needs to be the new policy around housing, and particularly how it affects children?
KATHRYN LEIFHEIT: Right. So, of course, affordable housing isn’t a new problem, and we already had a housing affordability crisis before this pandemic. So, we need to do everything we can to make sure that folks have safe, affordable housing, so that people are not just one crisis or economic shock away from losing their homes.
AMY GOODMAN: And, Tara Raghuveer, as we wrap, if you can talk about the difference that these actions have made when people come out? I mean, we’re talking about in these next days, this federal moratorium on evictions is scheduled to end. But even with it in place, so many people are being evicted. What do you think is the most effective response?
TARA RAGHUVEER: For us, the most effective response here in Kansas City and in the tenant movement across the country has been to take radical direct action to shut down every instance of evictions. So we’ve been disrupting the remote eviction hearings in court, and we’ve been showing up for blockades. We’ve been training others to do the same. And as far as we’re concerned, especially in a state like Missouri, where our governor, where our judges are not listening to tenants, do not care about working people, the only thing we have to do is take action, take collective action, and shut down the rotten systems that are keeping our people in such pain.
AMY GOODMAN: Tara Raghuveer, director of KC Tenants. Kathryn Leifheit, researcher at UCLA’s Fielding School of Public Health, and we will link to your report at democracynow.org.
This is Democracy Now!, democracynow.org, The Quarantine Report. When we come back, an historic nomination: first Native American to head the Interior Department. We’ll get response from Indigenous leader Winona LaDuke. Stay with us.


democracynow--2020-12-18--Headlines for December 18, 2020

Headlines for December 18, 2020

The United States has logged its second-worst day of the pandemic after shattering records just one day earlier .
On @ @ @ @ @ over 233,000 new infections and nearly 3,300 deaths .
Intensive care units in Southern California @ @ @ @ @ state report they ’ ve run out of ICU beds .
On average , two @ @ @ @ @ each hour in Los Angeles .
Meanwhile , lawyers representing patients at Southern California ’ @ @ @ @ @ demanding the release or transfer of hundreds of people amid a massive outbreak that ’ @ @ @ @ @ and killed 10 .
The lawyers describe the state-run Patton State Hospital as a “ @ @ @ @ @

The United States has logged its second-worst day of the pandemic after shattering records just one day earlier. On Thursday, the U.S. recorded over 233,000 new infections and nearly 3,300 deaths.
Intensive care units in Southern California and other parts of the state report they’ve run out of ICU beds. On average, two people are dying of COVID-19 each hour in Los Angeles.
Meanwhile, lawyers representing patients at Southern California’s largest psychiatric hospital are demanding the release or transfer of hundreds of people amid a massive outbreak that’s sickened nearly 700 patients and killed 10. The lawyers describe the state-run Patton State Hospital as a “tinderbox” for COVID-19.


democracynow--2020-12-21--Longtime Head of EPA's Environmental Justice Program: Biden's Climate Picks Show Power of Movements

This is a rush transcript .
Copy may not be in its final form .
AMY GOODMAN : This is Democracy Now !
The Quarantine Report .
I ’ m Amy Goodman .
We get a response now to President-elect Joe Biden ’ s announcement Saturday of the members of his climate team , who will tackle what he called the , quote , “ existential ” threat of the climate crisis .
His picks include Democratic Congresswoman Deb Haaland of New Mexico to lead the Interior Department , making her the first Native American Cabinet secretary in history , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ head of North Carolina ’ s Department of Environmental Quality , who would be the first Black man to lead the Environmental Protection Agency .
Biden also picked longtime environmental attorney Brenda Mallory to chair Biden ’ s Council on Environmental Quality ; Gina McCarthy , head of the EPA under Obama , will lead a new White House Office of Climate Policy ; and former Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm to be energy secretary .
Last month , Biden named former Secretary of State John Kerry as international presidential envoy on climate change @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Washington , D.C. , to speak with Mustafa Santiago Ali , former head of the environmental justice program at the Environmental Protection Agency .
In 2017 , he resigned in protest of the Trump administration ’ s efforts to severely scale back the size and work of the EPA .
He first helped launch the EPA ’ s Office of Environmental Justice in 1992 and served under both Republican and Democratic administrations .
He ’ s now vice president of the National Wildlife Federation .
Mustafa , welcome back to Democracy Now !
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ with us .
As we watched and listened to , in our last segment , people standing up one by one , talking about the climate crisis and specifically referring to the issue of environmental justice , we see the power of movements , people chosen that President-elect Biden hadn ’ t planned to originally choose , like the head of the EPA , going with Michael Regan , coming from heading up the environmental agency in North Carolina .
Can you talk about those movements and what they have accomplished ?
MUSTAFA @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s a transformational set of movements that are actually happening .
For us to see individuals saying the words and being tied to environmental justice , understanding the impacts of climate change , is something that we ’ ve never seen before .
And it also speaks to all the hard , incredible work that environmental justice leaders across the country have been doing to ensure that our president-elect is giving serious thought to vulnerable communities , to the impacts that are happening from the climate crisis , and really working through @ @ @ @ @ @ @ — you know , not snap decisions , but actually deep thought going into the individuals and also hearing and listening to the voices of communities .
AMY GOODMAN : So , can you talk about Michael Regan heading up the Environmental Protection Agency , if he ’ s confirmed ?
And , of course , you ’ ve known him for many , many years .
He once interned at the EPA , as he said .
He ’ ll be the first Black man to head up the agency .
If @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pick of President-elect Biden being Mary Nichols from California and what happened , the movement that said she did not deal with climate justice in the way that environmental justice movements felt needed to be represented as head of the EPA ?
MUSTAFA ALI : Yeah .
Well , let me start off by saying that environmental justice is now our North Star for our country , and the president has made significant commitments there , that environmental justice is one of his priority areas , so , therefore , it has to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a set of criteria , you know , when you ’ re choosing individuals .
Mary has been an expert and a champion on , you know , clean air-related actions .
So , we want to make sure that we honor that .
But you also have to make sure that you ’ re honoring the voices of communities as you ’ re moving in the development of policies and regulations and a set of actions .
And a number of stakeholders from California , and then across the country , called @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Mary had not honored that , that she had not fully listened to their voices and included them in the processes that were happening there in California .
And that became , you know , a drag , I think , on her being nominated as the Environmental Protection Agency ’ s administrator .
Then you transition to Michael .
Michael , I ’ ve known him since he was a student .
He , as you heard , as the listeners heard earlier , you know , has a real tie to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ communities and has been a strong regulator on environmental impacts , also understanding how the climate crisis is playing out and the fact that we also have to be focused , when you can , to also be focused on a clean economy .
So , he has a number of challenges that are in front of him , but , you know , being there in North Carolina , he had a Democratic governor , but he had a Republican set of lawmakers who were continually trying to slow down the process @ @ @ @ @ @ @ coal ash .
There are others , probably , who wished there was even more in that space , but , you know , he pushed Duke Energy to address some of those issues .
And he also worked on PFOA and PFAS issues and began to make some progress in that area .
You know , he ’ s going to just have to be surrounded by a number of folks who will help him to achieve the goals that the president is going to set out .
He ’ s going @ @ @ @ @ @ @ competencies and also experience , because the set of challenges are huge , but the set of opportunities are even larger .
I think Michael is up to the task , and folks will hold him accountable .
AMY GOODMAN : Also , to have Deb Haaland , if approved , to be the interior secretary , the first Native American in history to be named to the Cabinet , your response ?
MUSTAFA ALI : Oh , Congressman Haaland has my — Congresswoman Haaland has my heart .
She is a true @ @ @ @ @ @ @ anchored , anchored in culture , anchored in the changes that can and will happen inside of our country .
I ’ ve been blessed to do a number of events with Deb .
And she ’ s the real deal .
So , you know , the beauty of the diversity of this administration is not just in the color of people ’ s skins , but also their commitment to folks back home and folks across our country .
So I think it was an excellent , excellent selection in having @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Interior .
AMY GOODMAN : So , you have a number of people , overall , in the Biden-elect administration who come from the time of Obama .
And I guess the question is : How do you ensure that the movements that , for example , you ’ re a part of are going to continue to be heard ?
I think of the first African American who was named head of the EPA — that was Lisa Jackson — and she ultimately quit under President Obama because she felt undermined @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not by the Republicans , yes , of course , who were opposing her , but by the Democrats and the Obama administration , when she tried to propose tougher regulations on smog pollution , that she had negotiated for over a year .
And she felt undercut when the president , at that time Obama , did not support her .
How do you avoid a situation like this ?
MUSTAFA ALI : Well , Amy , that ’ s what I appreciate about Democracy Now !
, is that it ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we have to understand that we have power in this process .
And that ’ s why I ’ ve often said it doesn ’ t matter if it ’ s a Democrat , a Republican or an independent who ’ s leading , that we have to stay engaged in the process , we have to push , and we have to hold people accountable .
The reality of the situation is , is that 2022 is not that far away , and 2024 is not that far away .
So , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the voices of communities , progressive voices , moderate voices and others , if they want to be able to win on these issues .
And that means also that there are a number of other positions that are going to be filled and that those individuals who are coming from other parts of the party have to fill some of those positions to make sure this moves forward .
AMY GOODMAN : Mustafa , let me ask you very quickly about what ’ s happening today in Arizona .
Members of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a day of action in opposition to a proposed copper mine in a sacred portion of the Tonto National Forest , the tribe saying the planned mine would raze an ancient forest known as Oak Flat and contaminate a large swath of southern Arizona , the Trump administration racing to approve the mine as part of a massive transfer of federal land to oil , gas and mining companies in the final days of the Trump presidency .
What about these final days and what Trump is attempting to do ?
MUSTAFA ALI @ @ @ @ @ @ @ They have continued to impact our federal lands , just so folks can do additional mining .
These are traditional lands .
There is a cultural connection there .
People have to continue to engage , to fight back .
You know , folks have been also going through legal challenges on many of these actions .
We just have to continue to put a spotlight on it .
And when the new administration comes in , they ’ re going to have to use every tool that they have to reverse many @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , historical impacts in vulnerable communities across our country .
AMY GOODMAN : Mustafa Ali , I want to thank you so much for being with us , former longtime head of the environmental justice program at the Environmental Protection Agency , now vice president of the National Wildlife Federation .
Thank you so much for joining us today .

This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.
AMY GOODMAN: This is Democracy Now! The Quarantine Report. I’m Amy Goodman.
We get a response now to President-elect Joe Biden’s announcement Saturday of the members of his climate team, who will tackle what he called the, quote, “existential” threat of the climate crisis. His picks include Democratic Congresswoman Deb Haaland of New Mexico to lead the Interior Department, making her the first Native American Cabinet secretary in history, if confirmed, and Michael Regan, head of North Carolina’s Department of Environmental Quality, who would be the first Black man to lead the Environmental Protection Agency. Biden also picked longtime environmental attorney Brenda Mallory to chair Biden’s Council on Environmental Quality; Gina McCarthy, head of the EPA under Obama, will lead a new White House Office of Climate Policy; and former Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm to be energy secretary. Last month, Biden named former Secretary of State John Kerry as international presidential envoy on climate change.
For more, we go to Washington, D.C., to speak with Mustafa Santiago Ali, former head of the environmental justice program at the Environmental Protection Agency. In 2017, he resigned in protest of the Trump administration’s efforts to severely scale back the size and work of the EPA. He first helped launch the EPA’s Office of Environmental Justice in 1992 and served under both Republican and Democratic administrations. He’s now vice president of the National Wildlife Federation.
Mustafa, welcome back to Democracy Now! It’s great to have you with us. As we watched and listened to, in our last segment, people standing up one by one, talking about the climate crisis and specifically referring to the issue of environmental justice, we see the power of movements, people chosen that President-elect Biden hadn’t planned to originally choose, like the head of the EPA, going with Michael Regan, coming from heading up the environmental agency in North Carolina. Can you talk about those movements and what they have accomplished?
MUSTAFA ALI: Well, I think it’s a transformational set of movements that are actually happening. For us to see individuals saying the words and being tied to environmental justice, understanding the impacts of climate change, is something that we’ve never seen before. And it also speaks to all the hard, incredible work that environmental justice leaders across the country have been doing to ensure that our president-elect is giving serious thought to vulnerable communities, to the impacts that are happening from the climate crisis, and really working through with his team and making these decisions — you know, not snap decisions, but actually deep thought going into the individuals and also hearing and listening to the voices of communities.
AMY GOODMAN: So, can you talk about Michael Regan heading up the Environmental Protection Agency, if he’s confirmed? And, of course, you’ve known him for many, many years. He once interned at the EPA, as he said. He’ll be the first Black man to head up the agency. If you can talk about the original reported pick of President-elect Biden being Mary Nichols from California and what happened, the movement that said she did not deal with climate justice in the way that environmental justice movements felt needed to be represented as head of the EPA?
MUSTAFA ALI: Yeah. Well, let me start off by saying that environmental justice is now our North Star for our country, and the president has made significant commitments there, that environmental justice is one of his priority areas, so, therefore, it has to be a part of the evaluation and a set of criteria, you know, when you’re choosing individuals.
Mary has been an expert and a champion on, you know, clean air-related actions. So, we want to make sure that we honor that. But you also have to make sure that you’re honoring the voices of communities as you’re moving in the development of policies and regulations and a set of actions. And a number of stakeholders from California, and then across the country, called out the fact that they felt that Mary had not honored that, that she had not fully listened to their voices and included them in the processes that were happening there in California. And that became, you know, a drag, I think, on her being nominated as the Environmental Protection Agency’s administrator.
Then you transition to Michael. Michael, I’ve known him since he was a student. He, as you heard, as the listeners heard earlier, you know, has a real tie to the land, has a tie to communities and has been a strong regulator on environmental impacts, also understanding how the climate crisis is playing out and the fact that we also have to be focused, when you can, to also be focused on a clean economy. So, he has a number of challenges that are in front of him, but, you know, being there in North Carolina, he had a Democratic governor, but he had a Republican set of lawmakers who were continually trying to slow down the process. He did some great work around coal ash. There are others, probably, who wished there was even more in that space, but, you know, he pushed Duke Energy to address some of those issues. And he also worked on PFOA and PFAS issues and began to make some progress in that area.
You know, he’s going to just have to be surrounded by a number of folks who will help him to achieve the goals that the president is going to set out. He’s going to need those who have environmental justice competencies and also experience, because the set of challenges are huge, but the set of opportunities are even larger. I think Michael is up to the task, and folks will hold him accountable.
AMY GOODMAN: Also, to have Deb Haaland, if approved, to be the interior secretary, the first Native American in history to be named to the Cabinet, your response?
MUSTAFA ALI: Oh, Congressman Haaland has my — Congresswoman Haaland has my heart. She is a true progressive. She is someone who is anchored, anchored in culture, anchored in the changes that can and will happen inside of our country. I’ve been blessed to do a number of events with Deb. And she’s the real deal. So, you know, the beauty of the diversity of this administration is not just in the color of people’s skins, but also their commitment to folks back home and folks across our country. So I think it was an excellent, excellent selection in having Congresswoman Deb Haaland to lead the Department of Interior.
AMY GOODMAN: So, you have a number of people, overall, in the Biden-elect administration who come from the time of Obama. And I guess the question is: How do you ensure that the movements that, for example, you’re a part of are going to continue to be heard? I think of the first African American who was named head of the EPA — that was Lisa Jackson — and she ultimately quit under President Obama because she felt undermined and didn’t have support, not by the Republicans, yes, of course, who were opposing her, but by the Democrats and the Obama administration, when she tried to propose tougher regulations on smog pollution, that she had negotiated for over a year. And she felt undercut when the president, at that time Obama, did not support her. How do you avoid a situation like this?
MUSTAFA ALI: Well, Amy, that’s what I appreciate about Democracy Now!, is that it’s all about real talk. And we have to understand that we have power in this process. And that’s why I’ve often said it doesn’t matter if it’s a Democrat, a Republican or an independent who’s leading, that we have to stay engaged in the process, we have to push, and we have to hold people accountable.
The reality of the situation is, is that 2022 is not that far away, and 2024 is not that far away. So, folks are going to have to listen to the voices of communities, progressive voices, moderate voices and others, if they want to be able to win on these issues. And that means also that there are a number of other positions that are going to be filled and that those individuals who are coming from other parts of the party have to fill some of those positions to make sure this moves forward.
AMY GOODMAN: Mustafa, let me ask you very quickly about what’s happening today in Arizona. Members of the San Carlos Apache Nation have called a day of action in opposition to a proposed copper mine in a sacred portion of the Tonto National Forest, the tribe saying the planned mine would raze an ancient forest known as Oak Flat and contaminate a large swath of southern Arizona, the Trump administration racing to approve the mine as part of a massive transfer of federal land to oil, gas and mining companies in the final days of the Trump presidency. What about these final days and what Trump is attempting to do?
MUSTAFA ALI: We have to stay focused. They have continued to impact our federal lands, just so folks can do additional mining. These are traditional lands. There is a cultural connection there. People have to continue to engage, to fight back. You know, folks have been also going through legal challenges on many of these actions. We just have to continue to put a spotlight on it. And when the new administration comes in, they’re going to have to use every tool that they have to reverse many of these decisions that will have long-term, historical impacts in vulnerable communities across our country.
AMY GOODMAN: Mustafa Ali, I want to thank you so much for being with us, former longtime head of the environmental justice program at the Environmental Protection Agency, now vice president of the National Wildlife Federation. Thank you so much for joining us today.
Democracy Now! produced with Renée Feltz, Mike Burke, Deena Guzder, Libby Rainey, Nermeen Shaikh, María Taracena. I’m Amy Goodman. Wear a mask.