For Immediate Release: April 10, 2025
Sierra Club Statement on the Reintroduction of Federal Legislation to Protect Chaco Canyon
NM Members of Congress Propose Legislation as the 20-year Mineral Withdrawal is Threatened
The withdrawal is also intended to allow time for Congress to pass legislation. Nevertheless, Chaco Canyon is a culturally significant site targeted by Project 2025 and the Trump Administration for new oil and gas drilling.
In response, Program Manager of the Sierra Club Rio Grande Chapter, Miya King-Flaherty, released the following statement:
“For years, advocates and impacted community members have called on federal agencies to protect the cultural integrity of the Greater Chaco landscape and community well-being from fracking. Now, under a second Trump administration that is blatantly calling for public lands to be sold off for corporate polluter interests and turn back the clock on climate action, it’s urgent that we permanently protect this sacred landscape from further desecration, as well as the health of communities already overburdened from oil and gas drilling. We’re thankful to Senator Ben Ray Lujan and Representative Teresa Leger Fernandez for continuing to pursue protecting Chaco Culture National Historical Park and hope efforts to protect the broader landscape and public health are not forgotten.”
Featured image: Fajada Butte, Chaco Canyon. Photo by Benjamin Oswald (CC license, cropped)
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