Colorado has much to gain and lose from the U.S. Senate’s confirmation of Deb Haaland as secretary of the interior Monday.

The vote was close: 51-40, mostly with Republicans in opposition because they see her as a threat to fossil fuels with her strident views on using public land for resources.

Colorado’s Sens. Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper, who have supported Haaland’s nomination, missed Monday’s vote because flights from Denver International Airport were canceled Sunday due to the blizzard.

She is the first Native American and only the third woman to hold the job. Former Colorado Attorney General Gale Norton, a Republican, was the first, when she was nominated by George W. Bush in 2001. Sally Jewell was picked by Barack Obama in 2013.

Haaland could have a pivotal role in keeping the Bureau of Land Management headquarters in Grand Junction. Her predecessor, David Bernhardt, who grew up in Rifle, oversaw that move during the Trump administration. 

“Congresswoman Haaland loves public lands, and she’ll make sure that vulnerable communities are heard in Washington,” Colorado Sen. John Hickenlooper said in a statement. “We will work together on growing our outdoor recreation economy, tackling climate change, and finding a path to maintaining a BLM headquarters out West.” 

The Colorado Republican Party panned the confirmation.

“It is disappointing to see that both Bennet and Hickenlooper have once again chosen to side with Chuck Schumer and far-left interest groups over the jobs and livelihoods of everyday Coloradans,” the state party said in a statement. “Let’s be clear, the vote to confirm Deb Haaland by Bennet and Hickenlooper was a vote against keeping the Bureau of Land Management HQ in Colorado, a vote against Colorado’s energy workers, and a vote against Colorado’s future.”

GOP spokesman Joe Jackson said that even though Bennet missed the vote, he has supported Haaland in the past.

Last month Hickenlooper urged Haaland to keep the office there during her confirmation hearing before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee.

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Haaland did not commit, however.

“I’ll absolutely keep an open dialogue,” she said in the Feb. 23 committee hearing. “And if you’re inviting me to Colorado I gracefully accept.”

The Department of the Interior formally announced the BLM move to Colorado from Washington, D.C., in July 2019 to move staff closer to the resources they manage. About 87% of the agency’s D.C. staff declined to make the move West.

While the decision was made by the Trump administration, Colorado’s Democratic senators, Hickenlooper and Michael Bennet, hope to keep the agency’s base in Grand Junction.

Haaland said she was disappointed that a bill to set aside 400,000 of public lands in Colorado for wilderness and recreation did not pass the last administration. The Colorado Outdoor Recreation and Economy Act is endorsed by the Biden administration, she said.

Bennet released a statement Monday afternoon congratulating Haaland and citing her support for his bill.

“Secretary Haaland brings an important and unique perspective to the position, understands what public lands mean to our economy, and will be a key partner as we work to finally pass the CORE Act into law,” he said. “I am also encouraged by her commitment to visit Colorado and develop a plan for a fully functional Bureau of Land Management headquarters in Grand Junction. I look forward to working with Secretary Haaland as the Department of the Interior tackles climate change and restores balance to our public lands in the years ahead.”

During subsequent questioning on a range of topics, she told lawmakers she would follow President Biden’s agenda, not pursue her own. Besides overseeing the nation’s public lands, she oversees their resources as well.

“President Biden does not support a ban on fracking, is my understanding,” she said during her confirmation hearing.

When she was nominated by Biden, Haaland was one of the first two Native American women in the House with Rep. Sharice Davids, a Democrat from Kansas.

Haaland was elected to represent the Albuquerque district in 2018. She served two terms as chair of the New Mexico Democratic Party.

The Denver-based Center for Western Priorities called Haaland a history maker with a bright future.

“Charged with overseeing more than 400 million acres of American land, Haaland is the right person to lead America’s transition to a renewable energy future,” executive director Jennifer Rokala said in a statement. “The tasks ahead are enormous, but Deb Haaland knows the role America’s lands must play in stopping climate change, addressing the biodiversity crisis, and preparing communities for the next 200 years.”

The Outdoor Recreation Roundtable also endorsed the confirmation Monday.

“ORR and the entire outdoor recreation industry are excited for Rep. Haaland’s game-changing and historic confirmation to be the next Secretary of the Interior,” stated Lindsey Davis, the roundtable’s acting executive director. “Throughout her career Rep. Haaland has worked to improve and increase access to the outdoors for recreationists, and she understands how this access to public lands and waters is vital to rural communities and the nation’s outdoor recreation economy.

“We look forward to continuing to work with her as Secretary on outdoor recreation issues, access and economies.”

Boulder-based Western Resource Advocates called Haaland’s confirmation groundbreaking.

“Deb Haaland’s historic confirmation to lead the Department of the Interior is well deserved and presents a significant opportunity to address urgent conservation challenges facing the Western United States,” said Jon Goldin-Dubois, the think tank’s president. “Secretary Haaland brings invaluable perspective and expertise to this role as President Biden works to swiftly undo four years of destruction under the previous administration and protect our land, air, water, and climate.

“She will be a champion for smart policies that help our region exist in better balance with nature while centering the needs of underrepresented communities – particularly Indigenous communities who have lived on and managed this land for hundreds of years – in decision making. Western Resource Advocates is committed to this work, and we look forward to working with Secretary Haaland and states across the West to confront these and other challenges head-on.”

Added the Colorado Wildlands Project: “As a New Mexican, she understands transitioning rural western economies and the critical need to balance conservation, climate resilience and economic needs of our public lands communities and indigenous peoples, making her exceptionally well-qualified for this position.

“In particular, we are hopeful that Secretary Haaland, working with Colorado’s own Nada Culver, who is acting as interim director of the BLM, will champion rebuilding an agency damaged and scattered during the previous administration. We hope they will restore the agency’s multiple use mission, bring conservation back as a priority and leverage our public lands to meet the urgent imperatives of meeting our national climate goals.”