Biden administration bars oil and gas drilling within 10 miles of Chaco Canyon

Interior Secretary Deb Haaland on Friday announced new protections for New Mexico’s Chaco Culture National Historical Park, barring oil and gas development for 20 years within a 10-mile radius of the area. The announcement follows what the department said was an extensive period of consultation between tribal nations and Haaland, the nation’s first Senate-confirmed Indigenous Cabinet secretary. It will only apply to federal lands and will not affect existing leases, according to the Interior Department. No oil or gas leases have been issued in the affected area for about 10...