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WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (DN.M.), ranking member of the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee and co-founder of the U.S. Senate Stewardship Caucus, U.S. Senator Ben Ray Luján (DN.M.), member of the U.S. Senate Indian Affairs Committee, and U.S. Representative Melanie Stansbury (DN.M.) hosted a press conference with Pueblo leaders on next steps to permanently protect the Chaco Canyon after the Trump administration began the process last month to completely remove protections from Chaco Canyon by repealing Public Lands Ordinance No. 7923.
Located in northwestern New Mexico, the Greater Chaco is a region of great cultural, spiritual and historical significance to many pueblos and tribes and contains living sacred sites. Declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987, Chaco is one of only 24 such sites in the United States.
“Chaco Canyon is one of the most important living cultural landscapes on the planet and has deep meaning for pueblos and tribal people across New Mexico. Yet this sacred landscape is currently under threat from the Trump administration.” said Heinrich, ranking member of the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee and co-founder of the U.S. Senate Stewardship Caucus. “Defacing and destroying this irreplaceable and sacred landscape is not only morally wrong – it is also completely disrespectful to the Pueblos, tribal nations and New Mexicans who have long called for permanent protection of the Chaco landscape. This is not about the past; this is about future generations. I will continue to fight to permanently protect Chaco Canyon because it is a place worth protecting.”
“Chaco Canyon is one of the world’s greatest treasures and must be protected for future generations.” said Luján, a member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Indian Affairs. “What the Trump administration has done and plans to do regarding Chaco Canyon is deeply troubling and unacceptable. As a member of the House of Representatives, I passed legislation to protect Chaco. Now I have introduced legislation in the Senate to permanently protect Chaco Canyon and the Greater Chaco region, and I will continue to oppose this administration's attempts to undermine tribal sovereignty.”
“Chaco Canyon is not for sale” Stansbury said. “It is a sacred and sacred place, and we will use every tool at our disposal to protect this land – not just today, not just tomorrow, but for generations to come – so that the children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren who follow us can return to these sacred places themselves.” In 2023, the Biden administration announced it would begin a 20-year administrative withdrawal of non-Indian federal lands in the 10-mile buffer zone. This welcome move was successful and remained in effect until the U.S. Department of the Interior's (DOI) retraction by Doug Burgum at the end of October of this year.
In June, the NM delegation sent a letter inviting Minister Burgum to visit Chaco Canyon before deciding its fate and to engage directly with tribal leaders and local communities to learn directly about the profound cultural and spiritual significance of this sacred landscape. Minister Burgum issued the order to begin lifting protections and decided the fate of Chaco Canyon without experiencing it firsthand. Following Secretary Burgum's direction, the NM delegation sent a letter calling on the Trump Administration to reverse course from its decision to initiate the process to completely remove Chaco Canyon protections.
In April, the NM delegation reintroduced legislation to protect Chaco Canyon and the larger sacred landscape surrounding Chaco Culture National Historical Park. The legislation is led by Luján in the U.S. Senate and Leger Fernández in the U.S. House of Representatives.
The bill prevents future oil, gas and mineral leasing and development on non-Indian federal lands within a 10-mile buffer zone around the park. This proposed Chaco Conservation Area will preserve the sacred sites and cultural heritage in Chaco Canyon and the surrounding landscape for generations to come.
In September, the NM delegation held a press conference in front of the U.S. Capitol with 20 governors and leaders from the Pueblos of Santa Ana, Picuris, Cochiti, Zia, Tesuque, Acoma, Santo Domingo and Laguna Pueblos to call on the Trump Administration to permanently protect Chaco Canyon and to invite U.S. Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum to visit the Greater Chaco landscape before deciding its fate. Watch the video of the full press conference here.
Last month, the NM delegation sent a letter requesting that Secretary Burgum change course on the DOI's decision to begin the process to completely repeal Public Land Order (PLO) No. 7923, which currently protects the Chaco Canyon area from oil and gas drilling.
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