{"id":18047,"date":"2021-11-15T09:35:30","date_gmt":"2021-11-15T14:35:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.indianz.com\/News\/?p=18047"},"modified":"2021-11-16T14:20:02","modified_gmt":"2021-11-16T19:20:02","slug":"biden-administration-seeks-to-protect-sacred-areas-in-new-mexico-from-development","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2021\/11\/15\/biden-administration-seeks-to-protect-sacred-areas-in-new-mexico-from-development\/","title":{"rendered":"Biden administration seeks to protect sacred areas in New Mexico from development"},"content":{"rendered":" \"Deb<\/a>
Secretary Deb Haaland, then a member of the U.S. Congress, is seen during a visit to Chaco Culture National Historical Park in New Mexico on April 14, 2019. Photo by Monica Sanchez \/ Natural Resources Democrats<\/a><\/figcaption>\r\n
Secretary Haaland Announces Steps to Establish Protections for Culturally Significant Chaco Canyon Landscape<\/div>\r\n
Interior Department to initiate a collaborative process to better steward the area\u2019s cultural, historic, and geologic values<\/div>\r\n
Monday, November 15, 2021<\/div>\r\n
Indianz.Com<\/div>\r\n

<\/p>\r\nThe following is the text of a November 15, 2021, news release from the Department of the Interior<\/a>.<\/em>\r\n

<\/p>\r\nWASHINGTON, D.C — During the Biden-Harris administration\u2019s first White House Tribal Nations Summit later today, President Biden will announce that the Department of the Interior is taking steps to protect the Chaco Canyon and the greater connected landscape with a rich Tribal and cultural legacy in northwest New Mexico.\r\n

<\/p>\r\nThe Bureau of Land Management (BLM) will initiate consideration of a 20-year withdrawal of federal lands within a 10-mile radius around Chaco Culture National Historical Park, which would bar new federal oil and gas leasing on those lands.\r\n

<\/p>\r\n\u201cChaco Canyon is a sacred place that holds deep meaning for the Indigenous peoples whose ancestors lived, worked, and thrived in that high desert community,\u201d said Secretary Deb Haaland. \u201cNow is the time to consider more enduring protections for the living landscape that is Chaco, so that we can pass on this rich cultural legacy to future generations. I value and appreciate the many Tribal leaders, elected officials, and stakeholders who have persisted in their work to conserve this special area.\u201d\r\n

<\/p>\r\nIn the coming weeks, the BLM intends to publish a notice in the Federal Register that will commence a two-year segregation of the federal lands while the bureau conducts an environmental analysis and seeks public comment on the proposed administrative withdrawal. BLM will also initiate formal Tribal consultation. The segregation and potential withdrawal would not affect existing valid leases or rights and would not apply to minerals owned by private, State, or Tribal entities.\r\n

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\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\"Center\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\n\t
\n\t\t\n\t\t\tCenter for Western Priorities welcomes protections for sacred areas in New Mexico\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/div>\n\t
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The Center for Western Priorities is praising the Biden administration for seeking to protect sacred tribal areas in New Mexico from development.<\/p>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/div>\n\t

\n\t\t\"Indianz.Com\"\t\tIndianz.Com\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\r\n

<\/P>\r\nSecretary Haaland also directed the Interior Department to undertake a broader assessment of the Greater Chaco cultural landscape to ensure that public land management better reflects the sacred sites, stories, and cultural resources in the region. Beginning in early 2022, the BLM and the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) will co-lead discussions with Tribes, communities, elected officials, and interested parties to explore ways the Interior Department can manage existing energy development, honor sensitive areas important to Tribes, and build collaborative management frameworks toward a sustainable economic future for the region.\r\n

<\/p>\r\n\u201cToday\u2019s announcement has been years in the making,\u201d said BLM Director Tracy Stone-Manning. \u201cWe look forward to kicking off a broader regional conversation with the many people who care deeply about the Greater Chaco landscape on how we can best manage the cultural and natural values unique to this special place.\u201d\r\n

<\/p>\r\n\u201cThis important step shows the Biden-Harris administration\u2019s commitment to protecting sacred places for Indigenous people and is a great example of how Tribally-led conservation can advance the nation\u2019s goal of addressing climate change,\u201d said Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs Bryan Newland. In July, Assistant Secretary Newland toured the Chaco Culture National Historical Park<\/a>, and met with the All Pueblo Council of Governors, Chaco Tribal Heritage Association, Tribal leaders from the Navajo Nation, and individual Navajo allottees regarding land use in the Chaco Canyon region.\r\n

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