Paulene Abeyta House District 69 | Sierra Club Rio Grande Chapter
Members of the Congressional House Natural Resources Committee recently visited New Mexico to examine the effects of oil and gas drilling on sacred sites and air quality, focusing on the Greater Chaco region. The visit, from April 13 to 15, included committee chair Raul Grijalva (D-AZ), subcommittee chairs Alan Lowenthal (D-CA) and Deb Haaland (D-NM), as well as Assistant House Speaker Ben Ray Luján (D-NM). Their activities involved an environmental justice roundtable, site visits with FLIR-camera imaging, discussions with local Navajo leaders, a park tour, and a field committee hearing at the New Mexico Capitol.
Testimonies were heard from various stakeholders including New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham and Navajo Nation Vice President Myron Lizer. Kendra Pinto questioned legislators about their observations during site tours. Members noted the visibility of emissions through FLIR imaging and expressed increased understanding for congressional action.
The visit coincided with the re-introduction of the Chaco Cultural Heritage Protection Act of 2019 by New Mexico's congressional delegation. This bill proposes withdrawing federal minerals from new leasing within a buffer zone around Chaco Culture National Historical Park. It incorporates recommendations from the Greater Chaco Coalition regarding landscape recognition and further studies.
Representatives of the Greater Chaco coalition also engaged with Congress members to discuss Bureau of Land Management practices affecting cultural resources and public health. Various statements highlighted community concerns over oil and gas impacts on air quality and sacred sites.
"Unfettered industrialized oil and gas development is currently besieging Greater Chaco," one statement read. "We’re thankful for leadership... toward landscape-level protection."
"350 New Mexico thanks the House Natural Resources Committee for their Santa Fe field hearing following their visit to Chaco Canyon," another statement said.
These meetings underscored widespread calls for protective measures such as moratoriums on new fracking permits until safety assurances are in place.
