Biden proposes drilling ban near tribal site in New Mexico

During the Tribal Nations Summit on Monday, the Biden administration proposed a 20-year ban on new mining and oil and gas drilling near Chaco Canyon, a sacred Native American site in New Mexico.

The Interior Department proposed to make a 10-mile buffer zone around Chaco Canyon, a National Historical Park and UNESCO World Heritage site.

Within that 10-mile zone, no new mining and gas and oil permits will be processed. According to the administration, the ban will not impact existing leases and claims.

Implementing a 10-mile buffer around the canyon will prevent approximately 325,00 acres of federal minerals and nearly 95,000 surface acres from being leased and mined.

In the coming weeks, the Interior Department plans to segregate the targeted portion of the federal lands for two years as it conducts an environmental analysis and approves the ban.

Located in northwestern New Mexico, Chaco Canyon has served as the center of Chacoan culture for nearly 400 years.

“Chaco Canyon is a sacred place that holds deep meaning for the Indigenous peoples whose ancestors lived, worked, and thrived in that high desert community,” Interior Secretary Deb Haaland said in a statement. 

The summit is part of a broader collaborative process, which seeks to bring Tribes, Native American Organizations, elected officials, and stakeholders together in 2022 to establish a way to protect the landscape.