The U.S. Bureau of Land Management opened a seven-day public comment period on March 31 as part of its proposal to open 336,425 acres of public lands in the Greater Chaco Region in New Mexico to oil and gas drilling. If the proposal moves forward, new oil and gas leasing and development on federal lands will be allowed within 10 miles of Chaco Culture National Historical Park, even on lands directly bordering the park.

In 2023, under the Biden administration, Public Land Order 7923 put the public lands surrounding Chaco Culture National Historical Park off limits to unchecked extractive development for 20 years. The new proposal seeks to undo the order.

“Chaco Cultural National Historical Park has incalculable ecological and historical value. It is too special to be exposed to oil and gas drilling,” said Environment New Mexico Great Outdoors Director Ellen Montgomery. “The park is one of the last sanctuaries for desert animals seeking respite from surrounding drilling and human interference. Protecting this special place has overwhelming public support in New Mexico and across the country. The protections enacted in 2023 should be left in place.”

In addition to being an area of natural beauty and home to thousands of archaeological and cultural sites, the Greater Chaco Landscape is host to hundreds of bird species, pronghorn, rattlesnakes and bobcats. Chaco Canyon has also been designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is central to the cultural identity, traditions and ongoing practices of Indigenous peoples in the region.

“Chaco Canyon is one of the most extraordinary cultural landscapes in our National Park System and has endured as a place of community and connection that continues to hold profound meaning for Tribes today," said Maude Dinan, New Mexico program manager for the National Parks Conservation Association. "Now, the Trump administration is auctioning it off to the oil and gas industry, trading sacred and scenic vistas for pumpjacks and the drum of drilling. This is not about energy strategy. It’s an attack on cultural heritage, community health, and all that our national parks were created to protect.”