Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, an Indigenous woman herself whose tribe has a personal stake in this decision, has pressed ahead with a 20-year ban on new oil and gas leasing near a culturally significant site in New Mexico, despite strong opposition from Native Americans in the region.
The ban, which was finalized on Friday, prohibits fossil fuel and mineral leasing within a 10-mile buffer zone surrounding the Chaco Culture National Historical Park in northwestern New Mexico.
This decision effectively withdraws approximately 336,404 acres of public lands from mineral leasing near the site, which holds sacred value for many Native Americans.
Secretary Haaland expressed the significance of this action, stating, “Today marks an important step in fulfilling President Biden’s commitments to Indian Country by protecting Chaco Canyon, a sacred place that holds deep meaning for the Indigenous peoples whose ancestors have called this place home since time immemorial.”
Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Director Tracy Stone-Manning echoed this sentiment, emphasizing the importance of incorporating Indigenous voices in the management of public lands.
“The exceptional landscape in the Greater Chaco region has profound cultural importance,” Stone-Manning said. “Today’s announcement marks an important step in ensuring Indigenous voices help inform the management of our public lands.”
The proposal for the leasing moratorium within the 10-mile radius of the Chaco Canyon site was initially introduced nearly two years ago by the Department of the Interior (DOI) and the BLM. However, the plan has faced staunch opposition from the nearby Navajo Nation, local officials, and energy producers.
Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez and Vice President Myron Lizer conveyed their concerns about the potential “devastating impact” on tribal members who have a financial stake in drilling operations in the area.
In a letter to President Biden last year, they made their stance clear. Similarly, the San Juan County, New Mexico, board of commissioners passed a resolution opposing the DOI’s proposal.
Critics of the buffer zone argue that it would devalue Indian-owned allotments, making them essentially worthless. Nez and Lizer highlighted the complexities of extracting fossil fuels from existing sites, which often require horizontal lateral crossing of multiple miles of subsurface through federal land that would be impacted by the ban.
In an attempt to find a middle ground, the Navajo Nation supported a five-mile buffer zone proposed by stakeholders in the energy industry. However, in a recent vote of 15-1, the Navajo Nation’s resource and development committee passed a resolution opposing any buffer zone.
The resolution emphasized the detrimental economic consequences for Navajo allottees and their families, who rely on the income generated from oil and gas royalties. It asserted that the adoption of a buffer zone would further exacerbate poverty in these communities.
“The Chapters recognize the detrimental economic impact to the Navajo allottees should a buffer zone of any size be imposed around Chaco Canyon,” the resolution stated. “If a buffer zone is adopted, the Navajo allottees who rely on the income realized from oil and gas royalties will be pushed into greater poverty.”
“The 25th Navajo Nation Council wishes to support the Navajo Nation members who hold allotted land in the area around Chaco Canyon and allow those members to maximize their economic interests,” it continued. “The Navajo Nation does not support a buffer zone around Chaco Canyon.”
Currently, there are 53 Indian allotments within the 10-mile buffer zone around Chaco Canyon, generating $6.2 million annually in royalties for approximately 5,462 allottees, according to Navajo Nation data. Additionally, there are 418 unleased allotments in the zone that are associated with 16,615 allottees.
The Western Energy Alliance, a group representing producers in the area, expressed its concerns regarding Secretary Haaland’s involvement in the decision-making process. Haaland is a member of the Laguna Pueblo, a tribe that has advocated for the buffer zone.
The alliance contended that Haaland overlooked the democratic resolutions passed by the sovereign Navajo Nation, choosing instead to prioritize the interests of her own tribe, located a hundred miles away, and obstructionist groups.
Kathleen Sgamma, President of the Western Energy Alliance, asserted, “Despite her conflicts of interest, Secretary Haaland announced a withdrawal “of land around Chaco that threatens the livelihoods of 5,500 Navajos near the park,” Sgamma told Fox News Digital.
“She completely ignored the democratic resolutions of the sovereign Navajo Nation whose lands surround the park to put the interests of her tribe, based a hundred miles away, and obstructionist groups first,” she continued.
Sgamma further emphasized that the decision would prevent Navajo property owners from accessing the oil and natural gas resources they own and makes both Haaland and the Interior Department to legal action.
“The decision prevents Navajo property owners from accessing the oil and natural gas resources they own which provide them with their sustenance,” Sgamma added. “Secretary Haaland didn’t even consider the Navajo compromise proposal when conducting the NEPA analysis necessary to support this decision, which leaves her and the Interior Department legally vulnerable.”
The Department of the Interior, in its announcement, stated that Secretary Haaland had engaged in “significant consultation with Tribal Nations” before finalizing the action.
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