N.M. Delegation Responds to Trump Administration Actions to Undo Chaco Canyon Protections

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) and Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), and U.S. Representatives Teresa Leger Fernández (D-N.M.), Melanie Stansbury (D-N.M.), and Gabe Vasquez (D-N.M.) released the following statement in response to the news that the Trump administration is proposing to fully revoke a 20-year mineral withdrawal that has protected public lands surrounding Chaco Culture National Historical Park, and only allowing 14 days for public comment.  

“Chaco Canyon is a living, breathing cultural landscape that is central to the identity of Tribes throughout New Mexico. The Trump administration has been abdicating its responsibility for meaningful and complete Tribal consultation and continues to railroad communities through arbitrary deadlines and rushed decision-making. Secretary Burgum has also not kept his commitment to sending an official with decision-making authority to conduct in-person, individual consultation with each interested tribe.

“This decision also comes on the heels of President Trump’s administrative action to reverse years of Tribally-led efforts to protect sacred sites in Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments. It is clear where his priorities lie, and it is not with New Mexico, and it is not with Tribes.

“Proposing to fully revoke protections for Chaco Canyon and only allowing 14 days to comment on this development is wrong, shameful, and a slap in the face to Tribes. Now is the time to use your voices and speak up to protect Chaco Canyon from oil and gas drilling.”

Located in northwestern New Mexico, the Greater Chaco landscape is a region of great cultural, spiritual, and historical significance to many Pueblos and Tribes that contains living sacred sites. Chaco was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987 and is one of only 24 such sites in the United States.

The New Mexico Congressional Delegation has worked tirelessly to permanently protect Chaco Canyon.

In April, U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Ranking Member of the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, U.S. Senator Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), and U.S. Representatives Teresa Leger Fernández (D-N.M.), Ranking Member of the House Indian and Insular Affairs Subcommittee, Melanie Stansbury (D-N.M.), a member of the U.S. House Natural Resources Committee, and Gabe Vasquez (D-N.M.) submitted a comment letter to the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) urging the Trump administration to reverse course on its decision to initiate the process to undo a 20-year mineral withdrawal that has kept public lands surrounding Chaco Culture National Historical Park off-limits to new oil and gas leasing. Earlier that month, the New Mexico delegation sent statements in opposition to the Trump administration only granting seven days to submit scoping comments.

Last November, Heinrich, Luján, and Stansbury hosted a press conference with Pueblo leaders on the actions needed to permanently protect the landscape.  

Last September, the N.M. Delegation hosted a press conference in front of the U.S. Capitol with 20 Governors and leaders from the Santa Ana, Picuris, Cochiti, Zia, Tesuque, Acoma, Santo Domingo, and Laguna Pueblos to demand the Trump administration permanently protect Chaco Canyon, and to invite U.S. Department of the Interior Secretary Doug Burgum to visit the Greater Chaco landscape before deciding its fate. Watch the video of the full press conferencehere.

In June 2025, the N.M. Delegation sent a letter initially inviting Secretary Burgum to visit Chaco Canyon and engage directly with Tribal leaders and local communities to hear about the profound cultural and spiritual significance of this sacred landscape. Secretary Burgum issued the directive to begin revoking the Chaco protections without experiencing it firsthand. Following Secretary Burgum’s directive, the N.M. Delegation sent a letter urging the Trump administration to reverse course on its decision to initiate the process to fully revoke Chaco Canyon’s protections.

In April 2025, the N.M. Delegation reintroduced legislation to protect Chaco Canyon and the greater sacred landscape surrounding the Chaco Culture National Historical Park. The legislation was led by Luján in the U.S. Senate and Leger Fernández in the U.S. House of Representatives.

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