Biden orders 20-year ban on oil, gas drilling to protect tribal sites outside New Mexico’s Chaco

SANTA FE, N.M. — Hundreds of square miles in New Mexico will be withdrawn from further oil and gas production for the next 20 years on the outskirts of Chaco Culture National Historical Park that tribal communities consider sacred, the Biden administration ordered Friday. “Today marks an important step in fulfilling President Biden’s commitments to Indian Country, by protecting Chaco Canyon, a sacred place that holds deep meaning for the Indigenous peoples whose ancestors have called this place home since time immemorial,” Haaland said in a statement. The New Mexico Oil and Gas Association has argued that the plan would leave additional leases on Navajo land or allotments owned by individual Navajos landlocked by taking federal mineral holdings off the board. “The Biden Administration has undermined the position of the Navajo Nation with today’s action and impacted the livelihood of thousands of Navajo allotment owners and their families.” The Bureau of Land Management said the 10-mile radius would help protect more than 4,700 known archaeological sites outside the Chaco Culture National Historical Park, while a 5-mile radius would encompass about 2,800 of the sites.