近距离内射合集

New Mexico鈥檚 congressional delegation joined leaders of the All Pueblo Council of Governors in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday to advocate for protections around the Chaco Culture National Historical Park.

Leaders stood in front of the Capitol as they all echoed the same sentiment: 鈥淐haco Canyon is not for sale.鈥�

鈥淐haco is not a museum; it鈥檚 an isolated archaeological park,鈥� said Council Chairman Joey Sanchez, former governor of the Pueblo of Santa Ana. 鈥淲e pray for its guidance, and with a stroke of a pen, it could be gone. That鈥檚 not fair.鈥�

The move comes after a recent Bureau of Land Management proposal that would revoke a 2023 order that protected 336,400 acres of federal land within a 10-mile buffer from mineral, oil and gas extraction.

The proposal drew immediate criticism from state officials and environmental groups.

鈥淣ew Mexico has an important role to play producing energy for the nation,鈥� said U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich, D-N.M. 鈥淲e produce far more electrons than we consume, and we have never had to sacrifice our most sacred places to do that. And we should not do that going forward.鈥�

U.S. Reps. Melanie Stansbury, Gabe Vasquez and Teresa Leger Fern谩ndez, all Democrats, also stood behind tribal leaders as they spoke of Chaco Canyon鈥檚 cultural significance and urged the community to submit comments opposing the proposal.

鈥淭here is no molecule of gas on Earth that is worth destroying this cultural landscape that is known as Chaco Canyon,鈥� Leger Fern谩ndez said. 鈥淚t is not over, and we will not stand by and let those bulldozers take over this landscape.鈥�

Though many local leaders oppose revocation of the order, Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren in a reaffirmed the Navajo Nation does not support the buffer zone, though he said any decisions must include consultation with people who live there.

鈥淭he Navajo people have protected Chaco for generations,鈥� he wrote. 鈥淢y position is clear: leave it alone. Zero buffer zone is my stance.鈥�

The order was signed in 2023 by former Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, who is now New Mexico鈥檚 Democratic nominee for governor, and had been slated to remain in place until 2043.

In a public comment submitted online, Haaland said the potential revocation was an attempt to profit off Chaco Canyon without respecting the historical meaning behind the sacred lands.

鈥淐ommunities from across the globe, and right here in New Mexico, have worked for decades to protect this precious landscape and structures that date back thousands of years,鈥� Haaland wrote.

Congressional leaders criticized President Donald Trump鈥檚 administration for what they said was an expedited period. The BLM opened public comments for two weeks, running through July 29.

鈥淧resident Trump and his cronies tried to find a way to expedite public comment,鈥� said Sen. Ben Ray Lujan, D-N.M. 鈥淒o not let this clock that the president set, which is one of the shortest I鈥檝e ever seen, go without any of us noticing.鈥�

In a social media post, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said her administration had attempted to push back on the proposal for months and similarly expressed her frustration with the shortened public comment period.

鈥淣ew Mexico is already the #2 oil producer in the country, so don鈥檛 be fooled into thinking this is a debate about energy independence,鈥� she wrote. 鈥淭his is about whether we protect what can't be replaced.鈥�

On Wednesday afternoon, the delegation sent to Interior Secretary Doug Burgum to request that the BLM extend the public comment period by 90 days.

During a May news conference where it was announced that Chaco Canyon had been included on the list of America鈥檚 11 Most Endangered Historic Places, tribal leaders said the administration failed to recognize pueblo sovereignty, adding that leaders have been left out of any conversations.

The All Pueblo Council of Governors had requested numerous times for Burgum to meet with them in New Mexico to experience Chaco Canyon before coming to a decision.

Though Burgum said he would visit, he has yet to come, they said.

Acoma Pueblo Gov. Charles Riley said tribal leaders tried yet again to speak to Burgum in Washington, though he declined to meet with them at any point during the week.

鈥淲e have offered to take him to Chaco as his predecessors went so he could stand in that place before deciding its future,鈥� Riley said. 鈥淭he decision-maker in this matter has not yet looked at the pueblos in the eye, and he has not yet stood on the ground he proposes to open.鈥�

Nakayla McClelland covers crime and breaking news. Reach her at nmcclelland@abqjournal.com or at 505-823-3857.