Revoking Chaco Canyon Protections Ignores Pueblos, Tribes and the Public
Chaco Canyon National Historical Park, NM
Mason Cummings, TWS
The Department of the Interior’s Proposal Provides Only 14 Days to Weigh-In
(Santa Fe, NM) — Today, the Trump administration began a 14-day public comment period as part of its proposal to open public lands in the Greater Chaco Region to oil and gas drilling. This proposed action would reverse the 2023 administrative mineral withdrawal, which currently protects 336,400 acres surrounding Chaco Culture National Historical Park from unchecked extractive development for 20 years.
If the Interior Department (DOI) moves forward with its proposal, new oil and gas leasing and development on federal lands will be allowed within 10 miles of the park’s boundaries – even on lands directly bordering the park – threatening the irreplaceable cultural resources throughout the region and robbing future generations of the freedom to experience the Chaco landscape.
In response to this news, Michael Casaus, New Mexico state director at The Wilderness Society, said:
“What we stand to lose with the Greater Chaco Region is a living, cultural landscape, sacred to the Pueblos, the Diné People, and other Tribal Nations whose connections to this place remain active today. An attack on Chaco disregards millennia of Indigenous stewardship and ignores the hundreds of thousands of people who have called for its protection from reckless drilling. The decisions made now will define what future generations inherit, with lasting consequences for cultural preservation, community health, and this irreplaceable landscape.”
For media inquiries, contact Keri Gilliland at kgilliland@tws.org.
