Interior Secretary Deb Haaland on June 2 revealed her department is withdrawing more than 336,000 acres of public land around Chaco Culture National Historical Park in New Mexico from oil and gas drilling for 20 years, building on an announcement from President Joe Biden in November 2021.
“Today marks an important step in fulfilling President Biden’s commitments to Indian Country by protecting Chaco Canyon, a sacred place that holds deep meaning for the Indigenous peoples whose ancestors have called this place home since time immemorial,” Haaland said in a statement on the withdrawal order from Interior’s Bureau of Land Management (BLM).
