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U.S. officials to put off oil leases near sacred tribal land | TribLIVE.com
U.S./World

U.S. officials to put off oil leases near sacred tribal land

Associated Press
Associated Press
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AP
Interior Secretary David Bernhardt, third from left, tours Chaco Culture National Historical Park about 95 miles northeast of Gallup, N.M., Tuesday, May 28, 2019. U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich of New Mexico is at Bernhardt’s right. Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez is on the far right.
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AP
Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez, right, and U.S. Interior Secretary David Bernhardt look out over Pueblo Bonito, at Chaco Culture National Historical Park, N.M., Tuesday, May 28, 2019. Bernhardt has met with tribal leaders who are supporting legislation to prevent drilling on land they consider sacred around Chaco Culture National Historical Park. Nez has previously said that many tribes want a greater area around Chaco protected from industrial incursions.
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AP
U.S. Interior Secretary David Bernhardt listens while Chaco Culture National Historical Park Chief of Interpretation Nathan Hatfield talks during a tour of Pueblo Bonito in San Juan County, N.M., Tuesday, May 28, 2019. Bernhardt has met with tribal leaders Tuesday who are supporting legislation to prevent drilling on land they consider sacred around Chaco Culture National Historical Park.
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AP
In this photo provided by the Navajo Nation, Interior Secretary David Bernhardt, center, tours Chaco Culture National Historical Park about 95 miles northeast of Gallup, New Mexico, on Tuesday, May 28, 2019. U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich of New Mexico is at Bernhardt’s right. Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez is on his left.

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — U.S. Interior Secretary David Bernhardt has agreed to put off oil and gas leasing for a year on land that tribes consider sacred surrounding Chaco Canyon National Historical Park in northwestern New Mexico.

Officials say that will allow time to finish an updated management plan to guide energy development across the region. The decision comes after Bernhardt visited the ancient site Tuesday.

The area has been central to an ongoing dispute over drilling in the San Juan Basin in northwestern New Mexico and southwestern Colorado.

Native American tribes and others are pushing for a formal buffer to protect culturally significant sites within 10 miles of the park.

The management plan will include an alternative that reflects the views of Native American leaders and provisions from pending federal legislation.

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Categories: News | U.S./World
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