BLM Approves Controversial Oil and Gas Leases on Navajo Land

Indigenous leaders are expressing mixed views on the Bureau of Land Management’s decision to approve oil and gas leases on parcels near the Chaco Culture National Historical Park in New Mexico, a sensitive archaeological site. The decision came days before the presidential inauguration and applies to parcels sold at auction in 2019.

“One site is just over half a mile from the 10-mile buffer zone the Biden administration created to protect Chaco’s fragile cultural and environmental landscape,” explains Chad Bradley in High Country News. All 14 parcels are under review for eligibility for the National Register of Historic Places.

Acknowledging the potential of finding as-yet-undiscovered historical sites in the area, BLM Director of Minerals Michael Gibson said, “The lease sale itself does not directly authorize surface disturbance. Rather, leaseholders are granted future right of development to the leased mineral estate that is subject to site-specific analysis under (the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969).” 

Some Navajo leaders object to the buffer zone, saying the tribe was not consulted and that tribal members could lose millions in potential revenue, and the Navajo Nation sued the BLM in January over these claims. “Meanwhile, another site in the Navajo community of Counselor Chapter is also up for review for a lease. Back in 2023, local residents joined with environmentalists and sued New Mexico for allegedly failing to prevent pollution from oil and gas production in the southeastern and northwestern areas of the state.”