Leases near Chaco draw challenge

Environmentalists say oil plans are too close to UNESCO site

Environmentalists are challenging plans by federal land managers to lease four parcels in northwestern New Mexico for oil and gas development, saying the property is too close to Chaco Cultural National Historical Park.

The world heritage site and its outlying archaeological remnants have become the focus of the fight over expanded drilling in one of the nation’s largest natural gas fields.

Environmentalists have been pushing for years to curtail development in the region. They say now that the new parcels in question, which span less than two square miles, are near the homes of Navajo residents and within 20 miles of the park.

The Bureau of Land Management has already established a 10-mile buffer around the park and is developing a new management plan for resources across millions of acres in the region. Federal officials also recently agreed to expand their review to consider the cultural significance of sites scattered throughout the area. Chaco is a UNESCO World Heritage site,.

Kyle Tisdel, attorney with the Western Environmental Law Center, said while the federal agency has acknowledged a new analysis is needed to understand landscape-level effects of development in the Chaco region, oil and gas leasing continues.

The environmental groups submitted their protest earlier this week.

BLM officials in Farmington said they will review the protest as part of the process leading up to the Jan. 25 lease sale.

Native American leaders from elsewhere in the state have called on the agency to make permanent the 10-mile buffer around Chaco and support development of a master leasing plan.