Biden Administration Bans New Drilling on Federal Lands Around Chaco Canyon

Biden administration implements 20-year withdrawal banning oil and gas development outside Chaco Culture National Historical Park in New Mexico
Interior Secretary Deb Haaland announced the move to protect cultural and historic resources considered sacred by tribal communities
The ban applies only to federal public lands within a 10-mile radius of the park and does not affect existing leases or private, state, or tribal lands
The decision aims to safeguard sites critical to Pueblo and tribal nations but has faced opposition from the Navajo Nation and energy industry over economic impacts
Environmentalists and public land advocates praised the announcement and called for more permanent protections and an end to leasing across public lands