The Biden administration recently announced plans to block any new oil or gas leasing around 6for the next two years.
The U.S. Department of the Interior announced that new oil or gas leasing within 10 miles of Chaco Culture National Historical Park will be prohibited for the next two years as officials consider a proposal to withdraw federal land in the area from development for at least 20 years, according to KRQE.
“Now is the time to consider more enduring protections for the living landscape that is Chaco, so that we can pass on this rich cultural legacy to future generations,” Interior Secretary Deb Haaland said in a statement. “I value and appreciate the many tribal leaders, elected officials and stakeholders who have persisted in their work to conserve this special area.”
Environmentalists, Democrats and Native American tribes pushed for Haaland to take administrative action to protect this stretch of land as it is culturally significant for southwestern Indigenous people.
"I'm encouraged by the work President Biden and Secretary Haaland have done today, and it will be important that everyone continue to work together to ensure that we are able to protect this very sacred place," U.S. Sen. Ben Ray Lujan (D-N.M.) said in an interview with KRQE.
Haaland, the first Native American to hold a cabinet position, said the area has deep meaning to those whose ancestors called the desert home. As part of the land assessment, federal officials will conduct a wide survey of the region to account for sacred sites and cultural resources.
Chaco is a World Heritage site and contains walls of stone that line up perfectly with seasonal movements of the sun and moon, and archaeologists have said there is more to be discovered there.