ENERGY
New Mexico delegation pushes back on Chaco Canyon mineral leasing review
Critics say rushed federal comment period sidelines Tribal voices on sacred site
A brief 鈥� critics say too brief 鈥� public comment period on the Trump administration鈥檚 attempt to allow mineral leasing around the site of Chaco Canyon ends today as the U.S. Bureau of Land Management moves forward with the controversial proposal.
The BLM on March 31 opened a seven-day public comment period on the proposal. Under the proposal, the agency would withdraw 336,425 acres of public lands located within a 10-mile radius surrounding Chaco Culture National Historic Park in San Juan County. The park contains ruins from pre-Columbian Indigenous pueblos.
In 2023, Deb Haaland, then-U.S. Interior Department secretary who is now running as a Democrat for governor, withdrew the lands from leasing for a 20-year term. Doug Burgum, the current Interior secretary, wants to reverse that revocation.
The BLM is preparing an environmental assessment to analyze the proposal and its alternatives, such as keeping a 5-mile buffer zone.
The five Democrats from New Mexico鈥檚 congressional delegation released a statement saying the seven-day public comment period was inadequate. U.S. Sens. Martin Heinrich and Ben Ray Luj谩n signed the statement. So did U.S. Reps. Teresa Leger Fern谩ndez, Melanie Stansbury and Gabe Vasquez.
鈥淎llowing just seven days for public comment on the fate of a 1,000-year-old sacred site is inadequate and disgraceful,鈥� said Luj谩n, a member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Indian Affairs. 鈥淚鈥檝e spent my career working to secure lasting protections for Chaco Canyon and the Greater Chaco Region through real consultation and meaningful public input. The Trump administration is doing the opposite 鈥� jamming a comment period into Holy Week and limiting public participation to online-only access, all while Pueblos are in the midst of preparations for sensitive cultural activities.鈥�
Lujan added: 鈥淭his is unacceptable, and I will continue pushing back against this administration鈥檚 attempts to undermine tribal sovereignty.鈥�
Justin Horwath covers tech and energy for the Journal. He can be reached at jhorwath@abqjournal.com.
