Biden administration bans new oil and gas drilling for next 20 years in New Mexico Chaco Culture National Historical ParkA Unesco World Heritage since 1987.
THE order withdraws public lands within 10 miles of the park from new oil and gas and mining claims for the next 20 years, as part of an effort to protect 4,700 known archaeological sites. In total, it covers an area of 336,404 acres.
The historic region was home to the Chaco culture, an indigenous civilization that flourished from AD 850 to around AD 1250. Many contemporary southwestern tribes trace their roots to the Chacoan people, who built an urban ceremonial center with monumental buildings of stacked stones—some designed to align with the sun or moon depending on the season; and an elaborate system of routes through New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, and Colorado.
“Efforts to protect the Chaco landscape have continued for decades as tribal communities have expressed concerns about the impacts new development would have on areas of deep cultural connection,” said U.S. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland in a statement. statement. “Today marks an important milestone in fulfilling President Biden’s commitments to Indian Country by protecting the Chaco Canyon, a sacred place that holds deep meaning for Indigenous peoples whose ancestors have called them home since time immemorial.”
View of ancient Anasazi settlement, Chaco Ruins Culture National Park, Chetro Ketl, 11th Century, Chaco Canyon, New Mexico, United States of America. Anasazi civilization. Photo by DeAgostini/Getty Images.
At the 2021 White House Tribal Nations Summit, Biden announced plans to develop protections for the park after a two-year review and environmental analysis in consultation with Pueblo and Tribal Nations.
The Bureau of Land Management has not issued permits for new drilling in the affected area for about a decade. The organization considered a smaller five-mile setback, as well as taking no specific action, but determined the 10-mile radius offered the best protection for vulnerable historic sites. (A five-mile pullback would have left some 2,800 archaeological sites vulnerable to drilling.)
The office has issued a proposal for the withdrawal of 10 miles in the Federal Register in 2022, and had a 120-day public comment period. The newly enacted ordinance does not affect private, state or tribal lands, or public lands subject to existing leases for drilling.
The ruins of the Chetro Ketl house built by the ancient Puebloan people can be seen in the Chaco Culture National Historical Park. Photo by Mladen Antonov/AFP via Getty Images.
Predictably, the New Mexico Oil and Gas Association opposed the order, with a spokesperson telling the New York Times that “arbitrary” restrictions would limit economic opportunities. The Navajo Nation also opposed it.
“The Navajo Nation has attempted to compromise by proposing a buffer zone of five miles instead of 10 miles,” Navajo Nation council chairwoman Crystalyne Curley said in a statement, reported by ABC News. “The Biden administration has undermined the standing of the Navajo Nation with today’s action and has impacted the livelihoods of thousands of Navajo estate owners and their families.”
THE Grand Chaco Coalitionwhich includes members of the Diné and Pueblo tribes, meanwhile calls for an end to existing drilling in the Greater Chaco region.
Pueblo Bonito, the ruin of a large ancient Puebloan Native American ancestral home in the Chaco Culture National Historic Park. The Chaco Culture is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Photo by Jon G. Fuller/VWPics/Universal Images Group via Getty Images.
“The Grand Chaco landscape has endured generations of oil and gas extraction,” Julia Bernal, executive director of the Pueblo Action Alliance, said in a statement. statement. “Phases[ing] new and existing oil and gas development is a necessary next step. The Grand Chaco Coalition will continue to advocate for an end to the fossil fuel economy, the rehabilitation and cleanup of historic oil and gas infrastructure, and the implementation of environmental justice principles for future land management practices. lands that center the voices of frontline communities.
More than 90% of the area around the park – which had 41,000 visitors in 2022 – has been pledged to the gas industry or is already used for gas and oil extraction, according to the Western Center for Environmental Law.
By the bureau’s own estimates, according to the Colorado newspaper, the Logthe new ban will have minimal impact on the region, with a decrease of 0.5% in natural gas production and 2.5% in oil production.
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