Interior deputy nominee pledges legal compliance on public land sales, backs conservation funding and wildfire programs

Miss McGregor, nominee for Deputy Secretary of the Department of the Interior, told the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee that she did not participate in discussions about proposed sales of public land during her transition-team service and would ensure compliance with federal law and court orders if confirmed.

The exchange began with Senator Justice asking whether McGregor, during her work on the transition team or since nomination, had “engaged in any discussions about proposed sales of public land.” McGregor replied she had served as a volunteer on the transition team and had signed a nondisclosure agreement, then said, “in my current position, no, I did not engage in conversations regarding sales of public lands.”

The commitment to follow existing law was raised directly by the senator. When asked, McGregor said, “Absolutely. I fully intend, if confirmed, to obey the law,” referencing federal statutory requirements such as the Federal Land Policy and Management Act and the Federal Land Transaction Facilitation Act named by the committee in questioning.

Senator Justice also asked whether McGregor would ensure the department follows federal court orders after citing a judge’s ruling that grant funding must be dispersed. McGregor said she was not familiar with that particular case but told the senator she would work with him on the matter.

The hearing also moved to conservation funding and wildfire resilience. The senator cited the Great American Outdoors Act as an example of bipartisan, permanent funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund and asked McGregor to continue implementing that law and programs in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act that support forest resilience. McGregor responded she could “absolutely commit to working with you on everything related to forest management” and emphasized the importance of those programs for people living in the wildland-urban interface.

Taken together, the exchanges addressed three distinct points: McGregor’s transition-team role and the nondisclosure agreement she signed; an explicit pledge to follow federal statutes and court orders if confirmed; and support for continuing implementation of federal conservation and wildfire funding programs.

No formal votes or committee actions on the nominee were recorded in the provided transcript excerpt. The committee’s questioning focused on statutory compliance, court-ordered obligations, and program implementation rather than specific management directives or new policy proposals.