The Biden administration has proposed banning new oil and gas leases within a 10-mile buffer zone of Chaco Culture National Historical Park. The announcement came during the administration’s first White House Tribal Nations Summit earlier in November.
The Chaco Canyon area is a region of cultural, spiritual and historical significance to many Pueblo and Navajo Tribes. The area was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987.
President Joe Biden, at the summit, instructed the Department of the Interior to begin the process of removing new oil and gas leases from the area, except for individual Tribal allotments, private lands or lands owned by the state of New Mexico or Tribal entities, and it would not apply to minerals. The state has already issued a moratorium on new leases on state land within the 10-mile buffer zone.
“Chaco Canyon is a sacred place that holds deep meaning for the Indigenous peoples whose ancestors lived, worked and thrived in that high desert community,” said Interior Secretary Deb Haaland in a statement. “Now is the time to consider more enduring protections for the living landscape that is Chaco, so that we can pass on this rich cultural legacy to future generations. I value and appreciate the many Tribal leaders, elected officials and stakeholders who have persisted in their work to conserve this special area.”
According to a White House fact sheet, Pueblo and local Tribes in Arizona and New Mexico have raised concerns about encroaching oil and gas development threatening sacred and cultural sites over the last decade. Congress has passed a series of actions to defer new leasing temporarily.
In response to the announcement, the Navajo Nation Council announced its opposition to the 10-mile buffer and called on the administration to work with Navajo leaders. The Tribe prefers a smaller buffer.
“The Biden administration bypassed previous requests to Congress for field hearings and
for leaders to hear directly from our Navajo families affected in the Chaco Canyon region,” Speaker Seth Damon said in a statement. “The position of the Navajo Nation Council is for the creation of a 5-mile buffer within and around this sacred site. It is important that the federal government consider and work with our Navajo allottees to further advance development. The administration must respect our Tribal sovereignty and what the government to government relationship entails.”
Haaland, in a press release, stated the department would initiate formal Tribal consultation.
“There are places where oil and gas generation makes sense and places that it doesn’t. In sacred places like Chaco Canyon, there should not be oil and gas generation on federal lands in and around Chaco Canyon,” said Sen. Ben Ray Lujбn (D-NM) in an interview with NM Political Report.
Lujan said it is important to pass legislation that would protect the area from oil and gas leasing while protecting allottee rights.
The Bureau of Land Management intends to publish a notice in the Federal Register that will “commence a two-year segregation” while an environmental analysis is completed and public comment on the proposed administrative withdrawal is provided. — Charles Wallace, WLJ editor
