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Biden proposes ban on oil drilling near Native American site in New Mexico

Biden proposes ban on oil drilling near Native American site in New Mexico, Transatlantic Today

White House officials announced Monday that President Joe Biden proposed a 20-year ban on oil and gas drilling in northeast New Mexico’s Chaco Canyon — one of the oldest Native American sites — White House officials stated. The Department of Interior’s Bureau of Land Management is going to begin the process of effectively banning oil and gas leasing on federal land within a 10-mile radius of Chaco Culture National Historical Park.

Interior Secretary Deb Haaland stated that Chaco Canyon was a sacred site that holds deep significance for Indigenous peoples whose ancestors lived and worked in the high desert community. “Now is the right time to think about more permanent protections for Chaco’s living landscape, so that future generations can continue this rich cultural legacy.”

Haaland is from New Mexico and was the first Native American Secretary for the Interior. Haaland is from the Laguna Pueblo tribe. Biden made an announcement about his proposal to ban drilling underlines key elements of the president’s climate agenda.

Biden also announced that his administration will work with tribes in order to “comprehensively integrate tribal ecological knowledge” into the federal government’s approach towards combating climate change. Biden stated that his administration was the first to collaborate with tribes this way.

It will take some time to stop new oil and natural gas drilling on the land. The Bureau of Land Management stated that it plans to soon publish a notice in Federal Register to start two-year segregation of federal lands around Chaco Canyon. The bureau will also conduct an environmental analysis and solicit public comments on the ban on oil and gas drilling.

Separately, the State of New Mexico Land Office also banned new state mineral leases located within 10 miles of the historic park. Officials stated that the federal proposal will not apply to any individual Indian allotments, or minerals in the area owned privately by state, tribal, and private entities. Concerns have been raised by Native American tribes from Arizona and New Mexico about the potential for oil and gas development in an area that could pose a threat to sacred lands and cultural sites near Chaco Canyon. However, the oil and gas industry is likely to complain about the move. New Mexico is a state rich in oil and gas, particularly the Permian Basin located in the southeastern corner of the state.

After the president restored protection for Bears Ears, Grand Staircase–Escalante monuments (both in Utah) — national monuments of historic importance to Native American tribes — Biden’s action regarding Chaco Canyon is a result. Other tribes from the Midwest strongly criticized the Biden White House’s decision to not stop the Line 3 pipeline. This would transport tar sands crude oil from Canada and through tribal land in Minnesota.

Interior and Biden are working together to protect the site. However, there are larger questions about how the administration has approached oil and gas drilling. For months, the Interior Department has been working to produce a major report that will evaluate the federal government’s oil-and-gas leasing program. The report was originally due to be released in the summer. However, members of Congress are still puzzled by the delay.

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