Biden Admin Closes Off More Land to Oil and Gas Drilling with New 20-Year Moratorium
The Biden administration on Friday ordered a 20-year ban on new oil and gas drilling leases within 10 miles of the Chaco Culture National Historical Park in New Mexico, according to multiple reports.
The moratorium — which the Department of Interior initially began considering in November 2021 — is a long-sought goal of several local politicians, conservation groups and Native American tribes that want to preserve the centuries-old Pueblo ruins located there, according to E&E News.
However, some tribes have opposed the ban for limiting future economic opportunities.
“Opponents of the 20-year ban include the Navajo Nation, which represents tribal members dependent on oil and gas revenues near the park and whose mineral deposits could be devalued by the federal leasing moratorium,” E&E News reported.
Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, herself New Mexican and the nation’s first Native American Cabinet member, was directly lobbied to end drilling near the park by members of the Pueblo Action Alliance, a Native American activism organization to which her daughter Somah belongs, with the group’s executive director affectionately referring to her as “Auntie Deb” in an interview after the fact.
“Efforts to protect the Chaco landscape have been ongoing for decades, as Tribal communities have raised concerns about the impacts that new development would have on areas of deep cultural connection,” said Haaland in a statement, according to E&E News.
“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,” she said.
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, we are living up to our commitments to Indian Country. pic.twitter.com/k7N4AWWeBz
— Secretary Deb Haaland (@SecDebHaaland) June 2, 2023
The move is the administration’s latest toward Biden’s goal of conserving at least 30 percent of federal lands and waters by 2030, according to Reuters.
The Biden administration recently blocked large swathes of Alaska from being eligible for drilling.
Meanwhile, the Interior Department proposed rules that would allow conservation groups to lease lands for restoration purposes, similar to how oil and gas companies can lease land for drilling operations.
The Department of Interior did not immediately respond to a Daily Caller News Foundation request for comment.
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