Biden Proposes 20-Year Drilling Ban Around Chaco Culture National Historic Park, a Sacred Tribal Site

Joshua Partlow and Darryl Fears of The Washington Post report, “The Biden administration on Monday proposed a 20-year ban on oil and gas drilling in Chaco Canyon and surrounding areas in northwestern New Mexico, a sacred tribal site that also contains valuable oil and gas.” The proposal would limit the leasing of all land within ten miles of the park. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland, the first Native American Cabinet secretary, said, “Chaco Canyon is a sacred place that holds deep meaning for the Indigenous peoples whose ancestors lived, worked, and thrived in that high desert community. Now is the time to consider more enduring protections for the living landscape that is Chaco, so that we can pass on this rich cultural legacy to future generations.”

Read at The Washington Post

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