Sponsors (2)
The bill trades stronger protections for Chaco's cultural sites, landscapes, and tribal sovereignty and reduces legal uncertainty for managers against the cost of constraining future energy development and leaseholder rights, with attendant local revenue losses and some increased administrative complexity.
Rural communities, tribal residents, and visitors gain stronger environmental protection of Chaco-area landscapes and archaeological sites because the bill withdraws federal lands from new oil, gas, and mineral leasing and reduces new development.
Indigenous and tribal communities receive clearer recognition and protection of cultural and ceremonial ties to Chaco and retain key mineral rights on trust/allotment lands, supporting tribal sovereignty and consultation rights.
Federal landowners and BLM/Interior benefit from clearer rules about which leases are covered by the withdrawal, reducing legal uncertainty for implementing protections.
Local communities, workers, and governments face reduced future energy development, jobs, and local revenue because large areas are withdrawn from new leasing and development.
Owners of covered non‑producing or undeveloped federal oil and gas leases (and companies holding them) will lose development rights and investments when leases are restricted or automatically terminated.
State and local budgets could lose federal mineral royalty and leasing revenues, reducing funds available for services or projects.
Based on analysis of 4 sections of legislative text.
Withdraws specified federal land around the Greater Chaco area from new oil, gas, mining, and geothermal leasing and most public disposals, and terminates certain nonproducing leases while preserving tribal rights and infrastructure exceptions.
Introduced April 10, 2025 by Ben Ray Luján · Last progress April 10, 2025
Withdraws specified federal lands around the Greater Chaco region from new oil, gas, mining, and geothermal leasing and from most public disposal, and automatically ends certain nonproducing federal oil and gas leases. The measure preserves tribal rights, allows limited conveyances to Indian Tribes under approved resource plans, and permits necessary rights-of-way and infrastructure to serve adjacent communities.