Interior secretary accused of 'apparent ethical breaches' over oil and gas drilling ban

close

Video

Interior Secretary Deb Haaland and Sen. Josh Hawley get into tense exchange over jobs

Interior Secretary Deb Haaland suggested there were already too many jobs when confronted by Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., on Tuesday about her decision to shut down a northern Minnesota mine projected to create thousands of jobs. (Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee)

Interior Secretary Deb Haaland is accused of "apparent ethical breaches" over a ban on oil and gas drilling in New Mexico, according to a complaint from a watchdog group.

Protect the Public's Trust (PPT), a government watchdog, filed an official complaint with the Department of Interior's Inspector General against Haaland regarding the drilling ban near Chaco Canyon National Historic Park, her participation in a film "and her own public statements."

"Secretary Haaland apparently feels no compunction about participating in matters involving oil and gas leasing in Chaco Canyon despite past statements as well as her family’s — and her own — advocacy on the issue that reveals she is anything but impartial," PPT director Michael Chamberlain told Fox News Digital.

REPUBLICANS RAISE ETHICS CONCERNS OVER BIDEN CABINET OFFICIAL WHO ORDERED OIL LEASING BAN

Protect the Public's Trust, a government watchdog, filed an official inspector general complaint against Interior Secretary Deb Haaland regarding the drilling ban near New Mexico's Chaco Canyon National Historic Park, her participation in a film "and her own public statements." (AP Photo/John Locher, File)

"The reasonable person who concluded she was impartial (the legal hurdle she had to clear to make the decision) could only exist as a figment of her imagination," Chamberlain said. "The fact is that nearly everyone familiar with this issue not only has reason to question her impartiality, but already has."

"This represents just another in a continuing series of episodes in which policy has taken priority over ethics in the most ethical administration in history," he added.

In the complaint, PPT noted that in June that Haaland "withdrew public lands from future fuel leases within the Greater Chaco area" and that her child, Somah Haaland, "is a prominent member of an activist organization that lobbied federal officials seeking to restrict oil and gas leasing in the area."

"Somah Haaland narrated a film opposing oil and gas development in the region, a film in which Deb Haaland participated prior to her nomination to be Interior Secretary," the complaint reads, referencing the film "Our Story: The Indigenous Led Fight to Protect Greater Chaco."

"During the film, and elsewhere, Ms. Haaland made public statements opposing oil and gas development in this area," it continues. "Given her past statements, participation in this film, and her child’s active role in lobbying against oil and gas development in the region, reasonable observers could question Secretary Haaland’s impartiality in the matter."

In the complaint, PPT noted that in June, Interior Secretary Deb Haaland "withdrew public lands from future fuel leases within the Greater Chaco area" and that her child, Somah Haaland, pictured, "is a prominent member of an activist organization that lobbied federal officials seeking to restrict oil and gas leasing in the area." (The Wilderness Society/YouTube/Video screenshot)

"In fact, not only could reasonable observers question Secretary Haaland’s impartiality in the matter, we submit that observers knowledgeable about the issue from nearly every angle have already questioned her impartiality," the complaint reads.

PPT wrote that the interior secretary's "behavior evinces a failure to fully consider and live up to" her "ethical obligations as a senior government official in a position of public trust," and called for an investigation "as soon as possible."

The watchdog alleges Haaland "appears to have violated her ethical obligations by improperly participating in decisions concerning Chaco Canyon, a matter in which a reasonable person could have cause to question her impartiality."

"Not only could a reasonable person question her impartiality, but nearly everyone with knowledge of the issue, from nearly every side, already has questioned her impartiality," the complaint reads.

"Secretary Haaland’s apparent personal and substantial participation in decisions concerning oil and gas development in the Greater Chaco raises questions about her compliance with her ethics obligations, most notably the requirement to maintain impartiality," the complaint also reads.

A DOI spokesperson told Fox News Digital they have not seen the "so-called complaint" that PPT said was filed Thursday morning.

In June, a group of 11 House Republicans sounded the alarm on Haaland's potential conflicts of interest related to an action she took last week restricting oil and gas drilling.

The Republicans, led by Natural Resources Committee Chairman Bruce Westerman, R-Ark., wrote to Haaland and top Interior Department ethics official Heather Gottry, expressing concern about how her and her family's past activism may have influenced the action. On Friday, Haaland finalized a ban on fossil fuel leasing within 10 miles of the Chaco Culture National Historical Park in New Mexico.

"Under the standards of ethical conduct, federal government officials are required to recuse from particular matters involving specific parties where ‘a person with whom he has a covered relationship is or represents a party to such matter,’ unless authorized by the agency to participate," the Republican lawmakers wrote.

"Furthermore, a federal government official is barred from using their position for the private gain of family members or nonprofit organizations," the letter continued.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

The letter noted that Haaland has been involved with the Pueblo Action Alliance (PAA), a New Mexico-based environmental and cultural group that has advocated against new leasing near Chaco Canyon. PAA Executive Director Julia Bernal boasted in 2021 that she met personally with Haaland, whom she referenced as "Auntie Deb," about the group's broad opposition to oil and gas leasing.

Somah Haaland has also worked for PAA and even lobbied on behalf of the group against new leasing near Chaco Canyon during a trip late last year to Washington, D.C.