Interior Secretary Deb Haaland is facing criticism from political allies after the Biden administration approved a contentious oil drilling project in Alaska. Haaland is the first Native American Cabinet head and met with environmental and Indigenous groups opposed to the giant Willow project. Critics call Houston-based ConocoPhillips’ project a “carbon bomb” that would betray pledges made by President Joe Biden to fight climate change. Haaland opposed Willow when serving in Congress, and while Haaland did not sign the order approving Willow, she defended it in an online video. Environmentalists say the video masked Haaland’s personal opposition to the project.
Students urge the University of Minnesota to better fund scholarship and Native American studies. Students and activists protested in the freezing cold to urge the University of Minnesota to follow through on promises to tribal communities. At the top of their list was an expansion of a tuition program that they say too few can access. “[It] is kind of frustrating and hard for the students that are here already and aren’t getting the support that we feel like we need,” said Laila Gourd, a sophomore from the Spirit Lake Nation in North Dakota. A new tuition support program for the U’s campuses, including the Twin Cities, began last fall, but it has limits.
Those are your headlines at this hour. I’m Colette Keith in the KIPI News center.
