Federal Bill Would Nullify Key Protections for Greater Chaco, Undo Years of Tribal Consultation

The Pew Charitable Trusts submitted a written statement to the official record for a July 13, 2023, legislative hearing of the U.S. House of Representatives Natural Resources Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources expressing strong opposition to H.R. 4374, the Energy Opportunities for All Act. The bill would nullify Public Land Order No. 7923, which establishes a 20-year ban on oil and gas development within the 336,000 acres of public lands surrounding Chaco Culture National Historical Park in northwestern New Mexico. The order applies only to federal lands and does not affect private landowners or existing leaseholders.   

The Greater Chaco Landscape embodies the spirit of Indigenous culture, history, and innovation, encompassing a network of historical roads, shrines, and buildings stretching across the Four Corners region of New Mexico, Colorado, Arizona, and Utah. The Pueblos and other Tribes consider Greater Chaco to be a sacred, living landscape. Since at least 2015, Pueblo and Tribal leaders and local communities have called for protection of the landscape surrounding the park because of the many sacred sites located outside its boundaries.