Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández (D-New Mexico) discusses efforts to protect sacred sites with Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum.

At a hearing on June 12, 2025, Fernández asked Burgum whether he would support legislation that requires foreign corporations to pay royalties for development on public lands. Burgum agreed with the premise — and went even further in explaining his reasoning.

“Absolutely would support it,” Burgum said at a hearing before the House Committee on Natural Resources.

“But I don’t think we should be allowing foreign adversaries to mine critical minerals in our country,” added Burgum, who leads the Department of the Interior, the federal agency with the most trust and treaty responsibilities in Indian Country.

Fernandez pointed out that foreign interests are behind a massive copper mine being proposed at Oak Flat, a sacred site in Arizona. She has supported legislation that would block the project.

“So we will work with you to see if we can stop that,” Fernández told Burgum.

Fernández also brought up efforts to protect Chaco Canyon in her home state of New Mexico. She said that public lands can be developed without harming the sacred area.

“You can drill for a molecule away from Chaco Canyon and get a return on your investment and not destroy irreplaceable cultural sites,” Fernández said.

“Don’t do it where there are sacred, protected sites that can never, ever be replaced,” Fernández added.

Burgum agreed to engage in tribal consultation before deciding whether to allow oil and gas drilling near Chaco. The Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Bureau of Land Management, which are part of Interior, have been looking into the matter.

Examining the President’s FY 2026 Budget Request for the Department of the Interior (June 12, 2025)

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