Interior Secretary Candidate Faces Senate Panel Questioning

Three-hour confirmation hearing (but no filibuster, yet)

Sally Jewell, President Obama's pick for Interior secretary, fielded nearly three hours of sometimes-pointed questions during her confirmation hearing Thursday, particularly from Republicans wary of her credentials as a conservationist.

Jewell, chief executive of REI, avoided direct answers on whether she supports a tax on carbon emissions, defended her ties to an environmental-advocacy group and parried questions on hydraulic fracturing.

Through it all, Jewell, 57, maintained a measured, solicitous tone before members of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. She will need majority backing from the panel's 12 Democrats and 10 Republicans before the full Senate votes on her nomination.