WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Trump administration proposed revoking the 20-year mineral withdrawal that protects more than 300,000 acres surrounding Chaco Culture National Historical Park from new oil and gas leasing. The withdrawal, established in 2023 after years of Tribal consultation, public engagement, and expert analysis, safeguards a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the ancestral homelands of Pueblo, Navajo, and other Tribal families. The administration plans to offer just seven days for public input during the scoping period, with no public meetings scheduled.
Following is a reaction from Amy Mall, director of Fossil Fuels at NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council):
“This proposal would erase a critical safeguard for one of the most important cultural landscapes on Earth. Ramming through new oil and gas leasing makes no sense. It would harm local communities as well as sacred spaces.
“More than 90 percent of the Greater Chaco region has already been handed over to the oil and gas industry, causing serious health harms to Indigenous families living in the shadow of thousands of wells.
“The need to protect Chaco was already deliberated and decided, through 150 days of public comment, eight public meetings, and extensive Tribal consultation. Now this administration wants to throw all of that away on a timeline designed to silence public participation. We will fight this rollback with every tool available.”
NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council) is an international nonprofit environmental organization with more than 3 million members and online activists. Established in 1970, NRDC uses science, policy, law and people power to confront the climate crisis, protect public health and safeguard nature. NRDC has offices in New York City, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Beijing and Delhi (an office of NRDC India Pvt. Ltd).