Pueblo governors head to D.C. to advocate for keeping Chaco Canyon buffer zone oil ban

CHACO CANYON — From 8,500 feet overhead, the half moon shape of an ancient ruin can be seen clearly, packed with neat boxes and perfect circles, the walls left by people who lived in Chaco Canyon thousands of years ago.

Rocks worn smooth by erosion look fragile from the air, like crumpled tissue paper. The ruins in Chaco Canyon are part of a national historical park, and no oil and gas drilling or mineral development is allowed within a 10-mile radius.

Three minutes northeast by airplane, dirt squares dot the land. On each pad, brush has been cleared away to make room for oil wells. Three there, three more, then more. It’s hard to count them all. The straight lines of dirt road connecting the oil operations contrast with the curves of cliffsides and riverbeds.

Late Sunday morning, a pumpjack that looked like a toothpick moved up and down at a steady pace. Light reflected off evaporation ponds full of brackish water, a byproduct of oil and gas production.

“For me, it’s just more land getting ruined that we’re not going to get back,” said Pueblo of Pojoaque Gov. Jenelle Roybal, after flying over Chaco Canyon and the surrounding region Sunday with support from LightHawk Conservation Flying and Native Land Institute. “And this is land that our ancestors used for prayer or for traditional doing. It’s not like we can just pick up and start that somewhere else. You shouldn’t. You want to keep that spirit alive — keep it in the same location.”

In 2023, former Interior Secretary Deb Haaland issued an order that banned drilling and exploratory mining on federally owned land within a 10-mile radius of Chaco Culture National Historical Park for 20 years.

Under a new presidential administration, the buffer zone is being reconsidered, a move at least one tribal government in New Mexico favors and others do not.

Thirteen current and former pueblo governors and lieutenant governors are in Washington, D.C., this week to meet with members of Congress from both sides of the aisle and convince them to maintain the buffer zone, something Congress could accomplish with legislation.

“To us, it’s a sacred site, and it is something that is very cherished and hallowed, almost like visiting a memorial, or when you visit your relatives’ grave site,” said Cochiti Pueblo Lt. Gov. Jeff Suina, who landed in D.C. Sunday. During his three days at the nation’s capital, Suina plans to advocate for Chaco protections and build relationships with a new presidential administration.

All five of New Mexico’s Democratic senators and House representatives support legislation led by Sen. Ben Ray Luján and Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández to make the 10-mile protected area permanent. But Rep. Eli Crane, R-Arizona, has introduced a bill that would rescind the order.

The Navajo Nation sued the Interior Department in January, trying to reverse the 10-mile buffer zone, saying it harmed tribal members who depend on income from oil and gas drilling in the area. The lawsuit argues that the federal government did not properly consider Navajo officials’ proposal for a 5-mile buffer zone instead of 10 miles.

“This area remains one of the least economically developed places in the United States, and Navajo allottees residing in this rural region rely heavily on royalty payments from oil and gas leasing for their livelihoods,” the lawsuit reads.

Two pueblos, Acoma and Laguna, joined the lawsuit on the side of the Interior Department, with the goal of keeping the buffer zone in place. The All Pueblo Council of Governors wants the protection to stay in place, passing a resolution reaffirming its opposition to weakening Chaco protections earlier this year.

The lawsuit was paused in July to see if the Interior Department, which is reconsidering all federal land withdrawals, overturns the buffer zone on its own.

The office of Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren did not respond to a request for comment.

Three weeks ago Roybal and other pueblo governors met with Interior Secretary Doug Burgum to advocate for keeping the buffer zone. Burgum seemed receptive to their concerns, according to Roybal. The governors invited Burgum to fly over Chaco and he seemed interested, she said.

“I just got a good impression of him,” Roybal said. “The way he responded and kind of reiterated everything we were talking to him about, it felt to me like he was paying attention.”