In response to President-Elect Joe Biden’s announcement of various Cabinet and executive leadership nominations and appointments, American Forests issued the following statement from Jad Daley, its president and chief operating officer:
“To an individual, these nominees have a demonstrated commitment to promoting equity and inclusion. They bring expertise related to the most pressing issues of our time — including climate change, social equity and community revitalization.
“This begins with the appointment of Brenda Mallory to serve as chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality. Mallory’s proven skill at bringing together a multitude of voices and opportunities will reignite the Council of Environmental Quality’s leadership for environmental justice. This aligns with American Forests’ efforts to build a Tree Equity movement in cities across America.
“We also warmly welcome the nomination of Tom Vilsack to serve as secretary of agriculture and Representative Deb Haaland as secretary of the interior. These two departments collectively own and manage more than 230 million acres of America’s forests, and set policies that impact the health and resilience of all our nation’s forests.
“Vilsack brings tremendous experience and proven accomplishment from his tenure as secretary of agriculture under the Obama Administration. His leadership in launching innovative efforts, such as the United States Department of Agriculture’s Climate Hubs, demonstrates that he is well-positioned to lead the department on pressing issues of the moment.
“Haaland brings a strong conservation track record as vice chair of the House Committee on Natural Resources, and is the first Native American nominated to lead Interior — a welcome and overdue step forward. American Forests has seen the congresswoman’s leadership on climate change, equity and green jobs through collaboration in development of the Climate Stewardship Act.
“Congratulations again to Biden on nominating an ideal team. We look forward to working with all of them to deliver America’s trees and forests for the administration’s vision to build back better together.”