ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (RTW News) — The Trump administration has initiated formal discussions with Native American tribes in the southwestern U.S. regarding the potential revocation of a 20-year ban on oil and gas development in federal lands surrounding Chaco Culture National Historical Park. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) revealed this announcement in a letter to tribal leaders last Thursday, stating it would conduct an environmental assessment on the proposal to allow future leasing of federal parcels.
Chaco Culture National Historical Park, recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage site, has been at the center of a contentious debate over drilling rights for years, crossing multiple presidential administrations. The park features the remnants of stone structures erected centuries ago by the ancestral Puebloans, alongside ancient road systems and related sites scattered across the arid landscape.
In 2023, at the urging of some pueblo leaders, former President Joe Biden's administration enacted an order prohibiting new oil and gas development within a 10-mile radius of this historic area. This historical protection is now under threat as President Trump’s administration looks to reconsider several public land orders established under Biden.
Many tribal leaders and New Mexico’s Democratic congressional delegation have voiced concerns that the protections could be rolled back, thereby jeopardizing their cultural heritage. The letter indicated that BLM will consider three avenues: maintaining the current withdrawal, revoking it entirely, or modifying the buffer zone around the park.
Despite the ongoing government shutdown, BLM staff will reportedly remain open to discussions with tribal leaders, emphasizing its responsibility in tribal consultations. Conversely, pueblo leaders traveled to Washington, D.C., recently to advocate for making the withdrawal permanent, asserting that the historical and cultural significance of Chaco demands protection.
“Our bloodlines, our heritage, our cultural foundation, our identity comes from Chaco Canyon," stated Santo Domingo Pueblo's Lt. Gov. Raymond Aguilar. He emphasized the importance of Chaco not just as a historical site but as a living part of their heritage. Furthermore, researchers have linked tribal DNA to the ancestral site, further galvanizing the call for respect in decisions impacting the area.
Amid the debate, two factions within the Native American community have emerged; a segment of the Navajo Nation has called for a reduced protected area to retain economic benefits derived from oil and gas resources. Previous legal action by the Navajo Nation underscores the complexities surrounding economic impact assessments connected to the prohibition of new oil and gas leasing.
