Biden Plans New Drilling in a Large Native American Neighborhood


WASHINGTON — President Biden will announce Monday that his administration is moving to block new federal oil and gas leases within a 10-mile radius around Chaco Canyon in New Mexico, one of the nation’s oldest and most culturally important Native American regions, according to White. House officials.

The announcement will be made while Mr Biden is hosting a tribal nations summit meeting at the White House, at which administration officials said he will also highlight the steps he has taken to improve public safety and justice for Native Americans.

The move to restrict fossil fuel drilling around a major Native American area coincides with two of Mr. Biden’s top policy priorities: addressing climate change and injustices against Native Americans.

Despite promoting an ambitious climate agenda, Mr. Biden has faced fierce criticism from Native American environmental activists. management’s approval of Line 3A $9 billion pipeline that will carry hundreds of thousands of barrels of oil from Minnesota’s sensitive watersheds and tribal lands.

The government’s move to preserve Chaco Canyon and its surroundings, known as the Chaco Culture National Historical Park, comes in direct response to decades of tribal demands.

Chaco Canyon park, an area of ​​nearly 30,000 acres in the high desert mesas of northwestern New Mexico, was established by President Theodore Roosevelt in 1907. This UNESCO World Heritage site is home to an extensive network of pre-Columbian ruins. Between the ninth and 13th centuries, the area was home to a large, complex Pueblo culture community with numerous settlements of multi-storey houses and sanctuaries. But over the past decade, Pueblo and other Indigenous groups have expressed concern that oil and gas development has encroached on the park’s boundaries.

While Congress has enacted some short-term drilling bans around the park, there has been no long-term or permanent policy to discourage drilling at its edges.

The new plan to protect the area around Chaco Canyon will be enacted by Home Secretary Deb Haaland, the first Native American cabinet secretary. A former environmental activist, Ms. Haaland is a citizen of Laguna Pueblo, a sovereign nation near Albuquerque.

“Chaco Canyon is a sacred place that holds deep meaning for the Indigenous peoples whose ancestors lived, worked and thrived in this high desert community,” said Ms. Haaland. “Now is the time to consider more permanent preservations for the habitat that is Chaco so that we can pass on this rich cultural heritage to future generations. I value and appreciate the many tribal leaders, elected officials, and stakeholders who continue to work to protect this special area.”

This move is likely to draw significant backlash from Republicans and New Mexico’s oil and gas industry, especially at a time when oil and gas prices are hitting five-year highs. Management has also recently proposed tough new regulations regarding oil and gas producers.

“There does not appear to be any scientific or environmental justification for this 10-mile radius,” said Robert McEntyre, spokesman for the New Mexico Oil and Gas Association. “Given the role that oil and gas play in that region’s economy, we shouldn’t have an arbitrary number that will limit economic opportunities, perhaps the only economic opportunities, in that region of the state.”

“No one is saying that we want to thrive within the park or that we have to be directly within the park boundaries,” said Mr McEntyre. “But 10 miles seems arbitrary. Especially for a period long enough to have consequences for generations.”

Administration officials said in the coming weeks that the Bureau of Land Management, part of the Department of the Interior, will have a 10-mile radius around the Chaco Culture National Historical Park for a 20-year period.

The proposal will first be subject to a period of public comment, environmental analysis and official tribal consultation. The ban will not affect existing valid leases or rights and will not apply to oil, gas or other minerals owned by private, government or tribal entities.



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