chaco – Page 2 – Rio Grande Chapter

Comment deadline on Chaco plan extended

As federal and state health guidelines were announced in March in response to COVID-19, New Mexico’s entire congressional delegation, Tribal leaders, Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Dept., and multiple groups called on Interior Secretary Bernhardt to extend the May 28 comment deadline to allow for the public and state and tribal governments to meaningfully engage. Instead of heeding pleas to extend the comment period, 15 days before the deadline the BLM and BIA held four virtual meetings. That did not go well.

Poem: The Tour

This poem is about the original tour that led to Daniel Tso’s well-know fracking reality tour in Greater Chaco. Daniel recently was awarded the Sierra Club Distinguished Service Award.

Court challenge: Feds cut out public on 40,802-acre NM oil and gas leases

Moving to protect the climate, public health, and to further environmental justice, a coalition filed suit to overturn the sale of leases on nearly 41,000 acres of public land in New Mexico for oil and gas drilling. The BLM did not allow a comment period on the lease sale’s draft environmental assessment, and held only a lightning-quick, 10-day protest period. In addition, the coalition charges that for this lease sale.

Chaco Coalition Responds to Another Trump Administration Broken Promise

On April 30, the BLM Farmington Field Office and Bureau of Indian Affairs denied requests to suspend the public comment period on the controversial drilling plan for the Greater Chaco region, instead the agencies are planning to hold 4 ‘virtual public meetings’ starting mid-May. The Navajo Nation has been seriously impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, most families lack internet access to attend these ‘meetings.’

Film: We are Greater Chaco

We Are Greater Chaco highlights grassroots Diné and Pueblo efforts to protect the Greater Chaco landscape and its living communities and cultures from fracking. More than 93% of the available lands in the Greater Chaco have already been leased for industrialized fracking. They are fighting for the last 7%.

Greater Chaco Coalition Responds to BLM’s Broken Promises

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Farmington Field Office and Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) released their long-awaited Mancos-Gallup Resource Management Plan Amendment for the Greater Chaco region on Friday, February 28, 2019. With the release of this draft plan, it’s clear the agencies have broken their many promises.

Public Condemns Sale of Ancestral Tribal and Public Lands For Fracking

Tribal governments, as well as thousands of people and more than a dozen groups representing over five million members called on the Trump administration to cancel its plan to lease nearly 15,000 acres of ancestral tribal and federal public lands in New Mexico for fracking.

New Mexico BLM Auctions Off More Public Land For Fracking

On September 5, 2019, environmental advocates gathered in front of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) State Office in Santa Fe to protest the agency’s September 5 online auction of nearly 3,000 acres of public land in the Permian Basin of New Mexico’s Greater Carlsbad region for industrialized fracking.

Bill to protect for Chaco passes House

The Chaco bill passed out of the Natural Resources Committee on July 17 and is another step further to becoming a federal law. Rep. Deb Haaland was excellent and a true champion for New Mexico in this Energy Dominance era. There is still much to get done and we continue to push and work on getting broader protections for the landscape, surrounding communities, and fight for environmental justice.

Greater Chaco Coalition responds to Congressional visit on oil and gas impacts

Members of the Congressional House Natural Resources Committee visited New Mexico from April 13 to 15 to learn more about the negative impacts of oil and gas drilling on sacred sites and air quality, especially in the Greater Chaco region of northwest New Mexico.