A proposal that would expand energy development on 336,425 acres around Chaco Culture National Historical Park initiated a sudden 7-day public comment period that prompted “approximately 70,000 comments” on the matter, according to the U.S. Bureau of Land Management.
A BLM spokesperson said the federal agency completed the first public comment period on April 7, and that there will be another opportunity to gather public input “on a future draft environmental assessment.”
The BLM did not share details on the types of comments received or whether it planned to review any National Environmental Policy Act exemption options authorized April 9 by the nearly formed Council on Environmental Quality.
Native News Online requested the additional information and will update if it is received.
The Council on Environmental Quality, created by the White House to execute the administration’s energy agenda, has been criticized for gutting longstanding environmental protections. It has also been used to justify emergency procedures that have fast tracked energy projects despite environmental concerns, such the Velvet-Wood uranium and vanadium mine.
The most recent round of public comment regarding Chaco started after a federal judge ruled March 31 to settle a lawsuit brought by the Navajo Nation, who claims that a 10-mile buffer zone that restricts oil and gas activity around Chaco violated their tribal sovereignty and mineral rights claims. Attorneys for the Navajo Nation argued the 10-mile buffer zone created economic hardship for up to 20,000 Navajo citizens that receive oil and gas royalties from energy development in the area.
The settlement invited the public to comment on reducing the buffer zone to 5-miles, something preferred by the Navajo Nation, eliminate it altogether, or keep the 10-mile buffer enacted by President Joe Biden in 2023.
Despite the short notice and small public comment window, several prominent Indigenous and environmental organizations activated a response that shared how Chaco remains a culturally significant place for Native Americans that includes historic religious sites, burial grounds and artifacts connected to the contemporary Pueblo people that live in the region.
“We did a 20 year withdrawal of this ten mile buffer zone for Chaco,” Deb Haaland told Native News Online. “This conversation shouldn’t even be happening right now. I’m appalled by this administration’s disregard for sacred land, our people and our culture.”
Haaland (Laguna Pueblo) administered the protections in 2023 as U.S. Secretary of Interior and is a defendant in the Navajo Nation lawsuit.
Regarding Chaco updates, BLM officials said any new information about future reports or notices for public comment will be posted on the NEPA project page.