Pueblo leaders travel to Washington, DC, to reaffirm support for Chaco drilling ban

Representatives of the All Pueblo Council of Governors went to Washington, DC, last week to protest a proposed law that would reverse a freeze in drilling and mining around Chaco Canyon after efforts by Republican representatives from Arizona to roll back a rule passed earlier this year.

In June this year, Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland announced the withdrawal of public land from new oil and gas leasing and mining in a ten mile radius around Chaco Culture National Historical Park.

Chaco Canyon is revered as the center point of a civilization that flourished around 1,000 years ago, where ancestors of many of today’s nations, tribes and Pueblos lived.

Navajo Nation opposes any Chaco Canyon buffer zone

But leaders and citizens of the Navajo Nation objected to the freeze, saying it made it harder for Navajo people with rights to some land in the area to sell mineral rights. They won the support of Republican Congressmen Eli Crane and Paul Gosar of Arizona, who introduced legislation that would overturn the new rule.

Last week, representatives of the All Pueblo Council of Governors traveled to Washington, DC, to object to the proposed legislation, known as the Energy Opportunities for All Act.

Representatives of the Pueblos of Tesuque, Acoma, Laguna, Jemez, Zia, and Zuni had meetings in the capital to reaffirm their support for the drilling freeze, and stress the cultural importance of Chaco.

In a statement, council Chairman Mark Mitchell said, “We have forged vital connections, shared our concerns, and echoed the heartbeat of the Greater Chaco Region through the halls of Congress.”