Chaco Cultural Heritage Area Protection Act of 2025

This bill protects certain federal lands around Chaco Culture National Historical Park in New Mexico. It blocks new mining, oil and gas drilling, and geothermal development on those federal lands to help safeguard sacred and historic places and the park experience . The Greater Chaco area is important to Pueblo communities, the Navajo Nation, the Hopi Tribe, and other Tribes, with many ancient roads, villages, and notable dark skies recognized by international programs.

It also sets clear rules for leases and community needs. Non‑producing federal oil and gas leases in the area end automatically under existing law and cannot be extended. If a lease ends or is given up on or after the day this becomes law, that land stays closed to new leasing and mining. The Interior Department may exchange or transfer some federal land to Tribes under existing land plans. The bill does not take away mineral rights on Tribal trust or allotment land and does not block needed water, power, utility, or road projects that help nearby communities. A map of the protected area will be available at Bureau of Land Management offices.

• Who is affected: People living near the park (including Pueblo communities, the Navajo Nation, the Hopi Tribe, and other Tribes), visitors, and companies with federal oil and gas interests in the area.
• What changes: No new mining or drilling on certain federal lands; non‑producing leases end and cannot be extended; some land may be transferred to Tribes; needed roads and utilities can still be built; Tribal mineral rights on trust or allotment land remain intact; a BLM map will show the area.
• When: These rules start when the bill becomes law; the closure also applies to leases that end or are relinquished on or after that date.