The Biden administration has banned new federal oil and gas leasing and mining for 20 years on 351,000 acres of public lands surrounding Chaco Culture National Historical Park, a move it said will protect the New Mexico site considered sacred to tribes.
The Interior Department withdrew federal minerals from leasing and mining within a 10-mile radius of the Chaco Culture site, it announced in a public land order issued Friday. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, previously a New Mexico politician, first announced the plan in November 2021.
In a press release, the Interior Department described the area as containing “rich archaeological ...
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