Rep. Eliseo Alcon House District 6 | Sierra Club Rio Grande Chapter
New Mexicans gathered in Santa Fe for a climate strike at the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) state office to protest the lease sale of 11,000 acres in Greater Chaco and Greater Carlsbad. Concerns were raised about the impact on cultural resources, public health, and climate. The BLM received over 33,000 protest comments from tribal leaders, environmental groups, and the public.
Daniel Tso, Navajo Nation Council Delegate, questioned the necessity of continuous protests against these lease sales. "The BLM hasn’t completed the required cultural resource studies and hasn’t consulted the Diné community members," he said. Tso emphasized that pure water is more valuable than oil and gas, urging for a balance between economic interests and future generations' welfare.
Protesters linked oil and gas leasing with climate change. They highlighted a recent federal court decision halting a Wyoming lease sale due to unaccounted climate consequences by the BLM. Rebecca Sobel from WildEarth Guardians criticized BLM's failure to analyze drilling costs related to climate change, culture, or community health. She noted that while New Mexico's oil production has increased, it ranks low in child poverty and education.
The majority of lands managed by BLM in Greater Chaco's San Juan Basin and around Greater Carlsbad are already leased for development. Residents have faced resource extraction impacts for decades without comprehensive analysis by BLM on cumulative effects on communities and landscapes.
Miya King-Flaherty from Sierra Club Rio Grande Chapter stated that BLM ignored concerns from tribal leaders while permitting fracking activities without proper analysis or mitigation. "Communities have been forced to bear the burden of funding health assessments," she said. Until stronger protections are implemented, public opposition will persist.
WildEarth Guardians provided a map of the March 2019 lease sale.
