US bans new oil and gas leasing around New Mexico cultural site
Posted on AllSides June 2nd, 2023
From The Center
The Biden administration said on Friday it would stop issuing new oil and gas drilling leases within 10 miles of the Chaco Culture National Historic Park, a region central to Pueblo ancestral heritage in northwest New Mexico.
Tribes, conservationists and state officials have long called on the federal government to ban drilling in the area. Structures in the area date back thousands of years, and the park is listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, the United Nations' cultural agency.
President Joe Biden first proposed protecting the area in...
