On June 27, 2023, Rep. Eli Crane (R-AZ), and Rep. Paul Gosar (R-AZ) introduced H.R. 4374 “Energy Opportunities for All Act”. This bill would nullify the Department of Interior (DOI)’s recent Public Lands Order 20-year withdrawal of federal lands and minerals, including new oil and gas leasing, in an especially critical 10-mile withdrawal area surrounding Chaco Culture National Historical Park (Chaco Canyon). Chaco Canyon and its surrounding landscape, known as the Greater Chaco Region, remains a sacred area important to the ongoing cultural practices of the Pueblos, Hopi, Navajo Nation, and other Indian Tribes throughout the Southwest. The passage of this bill would be a devastating setback, reversing all the hard work and contributions by the Pueblos, the Hopi Tribe, New Mexico Congressional delegation, and many other stakeholders, including the Navajo Nation on protecting this vital area from further devastation.
Act now to help protect this sacred landscape. Contact your state Representatives and Senators to oppose H.R. 4374 by submitting a comment letter in support of protecting Chaco Canyon and Greater Chaco Region from future oil and gas development. Submit your comment below!
In November of 2021, President Biden, and Interior Secretary Haaland announced the Department of the Interior’s (DOI) consideration of a 20-year withdrawal of federal lands and minerals, including new oil and gas leasing, in an especially critical 10 mile withdrawal area surrounding Chaco Culture National Historical Park (Chaco Canyon). Chaco Canyon and its surrounding landscape, known as the Greater Chaco Region, remains a sacred area important to the ongoing cultural practices of the Pueblos, Hopi, Navajo Nation, and other Indian Tribes throughout the Southwest. On January 6th, the Department formally began the withdrawal process by publishing a Federal Register Notice and on November 10, 2022, an environmental analysis (EA) was released. On June 2, 2023, after thorough and careful analysis, DOI announced the withdrawal by Public Land Order No. 7923 published in the Federal Register, effective June 7, 2023.
The Greater Chaco Region—a portion of which is now designated as Chaco Culture National Historical Park and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site—centuries ago was the center of incredible Indigenous achievements, resulting in vast great houses, kivas, rooms, and roads in the Four Corners region. The ancestors of the Pueblos and Tribes left vast and sacred landscape rich in cultural resources, which is integral to their ongoing cultural practices. Many of these cultural resources are located within the proposed 10-mile withdrawal area, but most of the federally-managed lands in the region are threatened by industrial development — upwards of 90 percent is already leased for oil and gas drilling. For this reason, the Pueblos and Tribes, along with other stakeholders, have prioritized protecting federal land in an approximately 10-mile area surrounding the Park from new oil and gas development.
For at least the past decade, Pueblos and Tribes throughout the Southwest have raised concerns about increased oil and gas development encroaching closer and closer to Chaco Canyon. As a result, the New Mexico Congressional Delegation, including Senator Martin Heinrich, Senator Ben Ray Luján, Representative Teresa Leger Fernandez, and Representative Melanie Stansbury as well as the National Congress of American Indians, the All Pueblo Council of Governors (APCG), representing the 20 Pueblo Indian Tribes of New Mexico and Texas, community members, conservation groups, and others have advocated for permanent protection of the Greater Chaco Region including the 10-mile withdrawal area.
On June 27, 2023, Rep. Eli Crane (R-AZ), and Rep. Paul Gosar (R-AZ) introduced H.R. 4374 “Energy Opportunities for All Act.” The House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources held a hearing on July 13, 2023, to further discuss the bill and move forward for a full House vote. The passage of this bill would be a devastating setback, reversing all the hard work and contributions by the Pueblos, the Hopi Tribe, New Mexico Congressional delegation, and many other stakeholders and Tribal Nations on protecting this vital area from further devastation.