By Jesse Jones, The Paper. — Pueblo governors joined New Mexico’s entire congressional delegation Wednesday to defend federal protections around the Greater Chaco landscape, saying thousands of cultural sites could be at risk if the Trump administration rolls back the current safeguards.
All Pueblo Council of Governors Chairman Joey Sanchez and Pueblo governors from the council’s 20-member Pueblo nations in New Mexico and Texas joined Sens. Martin Heinrich and Ben Ray Luján and Reps. Teresa Leger Fernández, Melanie Stansbury and Gabe Vasquez outside the U.S. Capitol to urge Interior Secretary Doug Burgum to withdraw a proposal that would revoke Public Land Order 7923. Issued in 2023, the order withdrew about 336,000 acres of federal land surrounding Chaco Culture National Historical Park from new oil and gas leasing for 20 years. The delegation also called on the Interior Department to extend its 14-day public comment period to 90 days and conduct meaningful government-to-government consultation with tribes before making a decision.
“Chaco Canyon is not for sale,” Heinrich said, repeating the phrase as he urged the Trump administration to keep the protections in place. Heinrich said New Mexico can continue producing energy without sacrificing places considered sacred by Pueblo communities. “We’re the second-largest producer of oil in the country,” he said. “We produce far more electrons than we consume, and we have never had to sacrifice our most sacred places to do that.” Leger Fernández said the protections do not prevent energy production, arguing that development can continue outside the 10-mile buffer while preserving thousands of archaeological sites within it. “There is no molecule of gas on Earth that is worth destroying this cultural landscape that is known as Chaco Canyon,” she said.
Sanchez said the effort to protect Chaco is about preserving a living cultural landscape that remains central to Pueblo communities today. “Chaco is not a museum,” Sanchez said. “It’s a living cultural land.” He said Pueblo people continue to travel to Chaco, pray there and maintain connections to their ancestors through the landscape. Sanchez said the 2023 withdrawal was the result of years of advocacy, consultation and environmental review.
Leger Fernández said Burgum pledged to hold in-person consultations with affected tribes but failed to meet with Pueblo leaders during their visit to Washington. In a press release, Bureau of Land Management Director Stevan Pearce said the agency “welcomes input from stakeholders” as it analyzes the environmental effects of revoking the withdrawal of public lands surrounding Chaco Culture National Historical Park. He said the review is part of the agency’s mission to manage public lands “for the benefit of all Americans.” The BLM’s environmental assessment outlines three alternatives: keeping the 10-mile withdrawal in place, fully revoking the withdrawal or allowing mineral leasing and mining beyond a 5-mile buffer around the park.
Vasquez said decisions that took years of public review should not be undone in two weeks. Tribal leaders and lawmakers are urging the public to submit comments on the proposal before the July 29 deadline while continuing to push for permanent protections for the Greater Chaco landscape.