In our work to protect the redrock wilderness, we’ve long had to go beyond Utah’s boundaries to gain support for protecting public lands, and our neighbors in the Four Corners area have been powerful friends and allies. Today, they need our help. The Trump administration wants to open the Greater Chaco Region in New Mexico to oil and gas drilling—and they’ve only given the public a week to comment on the proposal.
After decades of advocacy by Tribal Nations and conservationists, federal protections in the Greater Chaco Region were finally put in place in 2023 with the establishment of a 10-mile buffer zone shielding the Chaco Culture National Historical Park from new oil and gas leasing. But a new Bureau of Land Management (BLM) proposal could undo all of that and bring drill rigs to the doorstep of Chaco Canyon—a sacred place to the Pueblo peoples and Tribes across the Southwest.
The agency is proposing to revoke the 2023 protections altogether or reduce the size of the buffer by half, to only 5 miles. Either option would be disastrous. Scientists have identified 4,200 culturally significant sites in the area, and only 15-20% of the area has been surveyed. If the BLM moves forward, these irreplaceable cultural resources could be damaged or destroyed by drilling, roads, and infrastructure.
The BLM has already leased much of the federal lands surrounding Chaco where fossil fuel companies have drilled more than 37,000 wells and built a sprawling network of roads. This past July, the BLM scaled back its development projections for northwestern New Mexico (including the unleased lands near Chaco) and reaffirmed that the withdrawal area “is not a favorable target for future development.”
Federal protection does not affect state, Tribal, allottee-owned, or other private lands. Because only federal public lands were withdrawn from future leasing, Tribal members who live in the area can still freely use and develop their lands, including for drilling.
Comments are due on Tuesday, April 7. We encourage you to make your voice heard by using the advocacy action from our friends at New Mexico Wild; they also have a web page where you can learn more about the threats facing Chaco Canyon.
