Sponsors (2)
The bill protects Chaco Canyon's cultural, environmental, and night‑sky values and clarifies withdrawal rules — preserving tribal rights and landscapes — at the cost of restricting future mineral development, which will reduce local energy jobs, lease revenues, and impose losses and administrative burdens on some leaseholders and agencies.
Indigenous and tribal communities gain stronger recognition of cultural and ceremonial ties to Chaco and retain mineral rights on trust/allotment lands, preserving tribal consultation, sovereignty, and control over resources.
Residents, visitors, and cultural stakeholders benefit from a mineral withdrawal and clarified leasing restrictions that reduce new oil, gas, and mining development around Chaco, helping preserve archaeological sites, landscapes, and the night sky (which supports tourism and cultural education).
Federal agencies (Interior/BLM) get clearer rules about which leases are covered by the withdrawal, reducing legal uncertainty and helping implementation and enforcement.
Local communities, workers, and small businesses near Chaco may lose future energy development opportunities, jobs, and related economic growth because large areas are withdrawn from new leasing and development.
State and local governments (and the federal treasury) could see reduced revenue from federal mineral royalties and leasing if significant acreage is removed from leasing, tightening budgets or funding for services.
Owners of non‑producing or covered federal oil and gas leases will lose development rights and investments when leases are restricted or automatically terminated, imposing direct financial losses on leaseholders.
Based on analysis of 4 sections of legislative text.
Withdraws specified federal lands around Chaco from new mineral leasing, mining, and public‑land disposals and terminates certain non‑producing federal oil/gas leases.
Official title: 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 Ben Ray Luján · Last progress April 10, 2025
Creates a permanent withdrawal of specified federal lands around Chaco Culture National Historical Park from new oil, gas, mining, geothermal, and most other public-land disposal and mineral leasing activities, while preserving existing valid rights and certain tribal and infrastructure exceptions. The bill defines the withdrawal area by reference to a BLM map, terminates non‑producing federal oil and gas leases within the area by operation of law, and allows transfers to Indian Tribes under approved resource management plans.