Sams’ confirmation hearing is Tuesday
By Terry Murry on Thursday, October 14th, 2021 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland is in Oregon this week, and Chuck Sams of Pendleton, her nominee for director of the National Park Service, will have his confirmation hearing before the full Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources next week.
Haaland will tour the site of the South Obenchain Fire in Jackson County today (Thursday). While there she will highlight the efforts to help better prepare communities and ecosystems against the threat of wildfires.
On Friday, Haaland will visit Warm Springs, to discuss the Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal, called the BID plan. Her office says it can be used to help improve water infrastructure.
Haaland is the first Indigenous American to head the Department of the Interior, and Chuck Sams will, upon Senate approval, also become the first one to head the National Park Service. His confirmation hearing is Tuesday, Oct. 19 at 10 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time. Guidelines in place do not allow for in-person visitors to the session. It will be streamed on the committee’s website and an archived video will be available shortly after the hearing precludes. The website is at https://www.energy.senate.gov/.
