Sen. Lujan Introduces Chaco Cultural Heritage Area Protection Act to Ban Local Drilling
This bill was recently introduced in the Senate and is currently being reviewed by the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. It is in the early stages of the lawmaking process and no further actions are scheduled at this time. The bill is considered active as it waits for the committee to decide on its next steps.
While the bill has strong support from New Mexico's senators, it faces significant opposition from groups that want to expand domestic energy production.
Ranchers and farmers operating on or near federal land in the Greater Chaco area could see changes to their local economy. While the withdrawal stops new mineral extraction on federal land, the bill does not affect existing agricultural uses and explicitly preserves rights-of-way for water and road development that rural communities depend on.
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
Sent to a congressional committee for expert review. The committee decides whether this bill moves forward.
Introduced in Senate
The bill was officially filed and given a number. It now enters the legislative queue.
No votes have been recorded for this legislation yet.
Following a settlement between the Navajo Nation and the federal government, the Interior Department has opened a brief window to consider revoking the 10-mile buffer zone around Chaco Canyon. This move threatens the permanent protections sought by the Chaco Cultural Heritage Area Protection Act of 2025, as the administration moves to reopen 300,000 acres to potential oil and gas leasing.
The Bureau of Land Management has initiated tribal consultations to consider undoing the 20-year withdrawal of federal lands around Chaco Culture National Historical Park. New Mexico's Democratic delegation, who reintroduced the Chaco Cultural Heritage Area Protection Act in April 2025 to make these protections permanent, condemned the move as a threat to a sacred living cultural landscape.
The Interior Department is expected to allow oil and gas drilling to resume near New Mexico's historic Chaco Canyon, reversing a Biden-era order. The move comes amid a legislative push by New Mexico lawmakers to pass the Chaco Cultural Heritage Area Protection Act, which would permanently withdraw the federal minerals from leasing to prevent industrial development near the UNESCO World Heritage site.
Document Type
Congressional Bill
Official Title
Chaco Cultural Heritage Area Protection Act of 2025
Analysis generated by AI. Always verify with official sources.