U.S. Sen. Ben Ray Luján led a community conversation in Canjilon recently to discuss a proposal for uranium drilling and mineral development by Gamma Resources Ltd., a Canadian-based company. During the meeting, Luján listened to the concerns of community members, ranchers, farmers, acequia members, Tribal leaders and Land Grant Members regarding the impacts the proposal would have on the region. The senator discussed planned legislation to permanently withdraw the Chama watershed from mineral entry and also toured the specific area proposed for the project.
“The communities of the Chama Valley have tended this watershed for generations and we must ensure it remains protected for generations to come,” Luján said in a release on his website. Luján, joined by Senator Martin Heinrich and Representative Teresa Leger Fernández, wrote to Carson National Forest Supervisor James Duran to express strong opposition to the drilling proposal. In the letter, the lawmakers wrote that the Chama Valley’s acequia farmers, tribal members, ranchers, and rural families “have tended this watershed for generations” and that the Forest Service has “both the authority and the responsibility to ensure that decisions affecting their water, their land, and their future are made with the care, science, and respect those communities deserve.”
Following the events in Canjilon, the senator met in Chama with Village of Chama Mayor Ernest E. Vigil to discuss local water issues and priorities.