Native American Tribe Wanted Oil Drilling, But Biden Banned It For 20 Years Anyway

Native American Tribe Wanted Oil Drilling, But Biden Banned It For 20 Years Anyway


President Joe Biden’s administration has ignored the requests and pleas from a tribe of Native Americans and has instead opted to impose a 20-year ban on oil drilling on nearby land.

The ban, imposed by Interior Secretary Deb Haaland and finalized on Friday, places “a 20-year ban on new oil and gas leasing near an Indigenous cultural site in New Mexico despite stark opposition” to it from the Navajo Nation, oil drillers, and local officials, Fox News reported.

The decision was particularly ironic since it was made by Haaland, though obviously with Biden’s blessing; she is a Native American, and she served New Mexico in the U.S. Congress.

Fox News added:

Haaland finalized the action Friday which bans fossil fuel and mineral leasing within a 10-mile buffer zone around the Chaco Culture National Historical Park in northwestern New Mexico. The ban ultimately amounts to a withdrawal of approximately 336,404 acres of public lands from mineral leasing near the site some Native Americans consider sacred.

“Today marks an important step in fulfilling President Biden’s commitments to Indian Country by protecting Chaco Canyon, a sacred place that holds deep meaning for the Indigenous peoples whose ancestors have called this place home since time immemorial,” Haaland said in a statement.

“The exceptional landscape in the Greater Chaco region has profound cultural importance,” Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Director Tracy Stone-Manning noted. “Today’s announcement marks an important step in ensuring Indigenous voices help inform the management of our public lands.”

The administration’s action comes after a proposal by Interior and BLM nearly two years ago to close off a nearly 10-mile radius at the Chaco Canyon site from drilling and fossil fuels development, even as the country continues to suffer higher than normal gas prices.

In 2021, President Jonathan Nez and Vice President Myron Lizer of the Navajo Nation wrote a letter to President Biden, cautioning that the proposed action would have a
“devasting impact” on tribal members who hold a financial stake in the drilling operations within the region.

Additionally, the San Juan County Board of Commissioners in New Mexico passed a resolution last year expressing their opposition to the proposal put forth by Interior.

In pursuit of a compromise, the Navajo Nation initially supported a proposed five-mile buffer zone suggested by stakeholders in the energy industry. However, in a recent 15-1 vote, the Navajo Nation’s resource and development committee passed a resolution declaring their opposition to any buffer zone.

“The Chapters recognize the detrimental economic impact to the Navajo allottees should a buffer zone of any size be imposed around Chaco Canyon,” the resolution stated. “If a buffer zone is adopted, the Navajo allottees who rely on the income realized from oil and gas royalties will be pushed into greater poverty.”

“The 25th Navajo Nation Council wishes to support the Navajo Nation members who hold allotted land in the area around Chaco Canyon and allow those members to maximize their economic interests,” it continued. “The Navajo Nation does not support a buffer zone around Chaco Canyon.”


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