Three Navajo Nation chapters and a Navajo environmental group have joined a lawsuit challenging the approval of nearly 10,000 new oil and gas wells in northwestern New Mexico.

In a lawsuit filed yesterday in federal court, Navajo leaders, local ranchers, and environmental groups say drilling will harm the environment, destroy sacred sites and threaten ranching. They want the Bureau of Land Management to reconsider its approval and ensure the land and air are protected.

Last year, BLM approved the development in the San Juan Basin. Navajo leaders in the region say they weren't adequately consulted.

Get the Story:
Feds sued over OK for drilling (The Denver Post 2/5)
Conservationists, Navajo Groups and Ranchers Sue BLM (AP 2/5)