Overview
- On July 29, Diné allotment shareholders and tribal leaders traveled to Washington, D.C., to press the Bureau of Land Management to keep the 2023 20‑year, 10‑mile (about 338,000‑acre) withdrawal around Chaco Culture National Historical Park in place.
- The BLM published a draft environmental assessment on July 15 and opened a two‑week public comment period that agencies tied to a 2025 executive order to 'restore discretion' for mineral leasing.
- Community advocates shared an analysis saying revoking the buffer would yield minimal extra energy while risking irreversible harm to sacred sites, cultural landscapes, and Indigenous public health.
- Organizers note nearly 40,000 existing oil and gas wells in the Greater Chaco region and say residents already face air pollution, spills, industrial traffic, and related health problems.
- New Mexico lawmakers have urged an extended comment period and better tribal consultation, and any final revocation could lead to renewed leasing, expanded drilling, legal challenges, and congressional scrutiny.