New bonding rate rule will safeguard sacred spaces from oil and gas
The American Southwest boasts a rich cultural tapestry, woven with sacred spaces, landscapes and sites, which stand as testaments to the presence and movement of ancient peoples.
Yet, this legacy is under siege.
For decades, oil and gas development has dominated the region, leaving behind a disturbing legacy of orphaned wells – abandoned and unmanaged sites that scar the landscape and threaten the very heritage they stand beside.
Previous research from the National Parks Conservation Association has identified more than 2,200 orphaned wells dotting landscapes across New Mexico alone, with a staggering 431 residing within 30 miles of national parks. Notably, 200 such wells lie within a 10-mile radius of both Chaco Culture National Historical Park and Aztec Ruins National Monument.
My new report paints a stark picture of this conflict and the impact of orphaned wells on these sacred and cultural sites, as well as the impacts to the front-line communities living in these areas. Abandoned and unmitigated wells pose a dire threat, potentially contaminating drinking water and spewing toxic methane into the air.
This burden falls heaviest on the region’s tribal communities, who already face disproportionate environmental impacts from oil and gas development.
The story repeats in southeast Utah, where hundreds of orphaned wells border national parks and intrude upon the sacred Lands Between. This ancestral and spiritual homeland for the Hopi, Zuni, Acoma, Laguna, Rio Grande pueblos, Nuche (Ute), Diné (Navajo), Paiute, and other Indigenous peoples holds over 50,000 culturally significant sites spanning 10 millennia.
Despite its sacred status, hundreds of oil and gas wells have been drilled in the area, some even breaching the boundaries of protected areas like Alkali Ridge National Historic Landmark and Hovenweep National Monument. These wells, many of which have not produced oil or gas in years, have not been properly plugged nor reclaimed by the companies that drilled and operated them. As a result, decaying pumpjacks, tanks, and other industrial infrastructure and equipment have been littered across the Lands Between region.
These numbers, and the mere presence of orphaned wells within spitting distance of national parks and monuments, should be a wake-up call for regulators.
Thankfully, the Bureau of Land Management has finalized a rule that will update decades-old federal bonding rates to ensure that oil and gas companies are held responsible for cleaning up their well sites on public lands. These critical policy changes will ensure that taxpayers aren’t forced to foot the enormous bill necessary for protecting these important areas from continuing to be further threatened in the future.
Additionally, the BLM’s rule will also apply new and improved leasing preference criteria to prevent public lands that host invaluable cultural resources from even being offered for leasing and drilling in the first place.
Protecting Indigenous and historic cultural heritage is not merely about preserving places of the past; it’s about honoring the living traditions of those who came before us.
The Southwest is a living tapestry of cultures, and these cultural sites hold immense significance for Indigenous communities. It is a relief to know that BLM has finally taken action to prevent oil and gas negligence from unraveling this legacy. The reforms provided by the oil and gas rule will safeguard important areas such as the Greater Chaco Landscape and the Lands Between from continuing to be further threatened in the future.