Sponsors (3)
The bill prioritizes protecting Chaco’s cultural landscapes, night skies, tribal rights, and local health over allowing new oil, gas, and mining development—trading energy and revenue opportunities (and associated jobs) for lasting environmental and cultural protections and stronger tribal stewardship.
Tribal-lands residents and nearby rural communities would gain stronger protection for Chaco-area landscapes and night skies because the bill bars new oil, gas, and mining leasing/development across the withdrawal area.
Indigenous tribal nations and Pueblo communities would receive stronger recognition and consultation rights and greater ability to acquire/manage adjacent lands, increasing tribal role in land stewardship and decisions that affect their cultural resources.
Tribal members and allotment owners would retain mineral rights and be enabled to receive conveyances/exchanges under approved plans, preserving tribal economic interests and options for tribal-led resource management.
Local communities, state/federal governments, and taxpayers would lose potential lease revenue and face reduced local economic activity and job opportunities because the withdrawal prevents new oil, gas, and mining development in the area.
Holders of non‑producing federal oil and gas leases and energy companies could lose lease interests or face automatic terminations for leases that have not begun production, causing immediate financial losses and potential legal disputes.
DOI/BLM, stakeholders, and taxpayers would incur additional administrative, mapping, legal, and monitoring costs and workloads to implement withdrawals, apply new definitions, manage conveyances, and conduct consultations.
Based on analysis of 4 sections of legislative text.
Withdraws specified federal lands around Chaco from new mining, mineral leasing, and geothermal leasing and terminates certain nonproducing oil/gas leases, preserving tribal rights.
Official title: To provide for the withdrawal and protection of certain Federal land in the State of New Mexico, and for other purposes.
Introduced April 10, 2025 by Teresa Leger Fernandez · Last progress April 10, 2025
Creates a permanent withdrawal of specified federal lands in the Greater Chaco region from new mining, mineral leasing (including oil and gas), geothermal leasing, and other forms of mineral development, subject to valid existing rights. Nonproducing federal oil and gas leases within the withdrawal area automatically terminate and may not be extended; tribal trust lands and tribal mineral rights are preserved, and the Secretary of the Interior may convey or exchange withdrawn land to Indian Tribes under applicable law.