Trump drilling plan near Chaco heritage site sparks alarm
The Trump administration is moving to scrap a 10-mile drilling-free buffer around New Mexico's Chaco Culture National Historical Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Conservationists, tribal leaders, and UNESCO have raised alarm that oil and gas extraction could damage sacred Pueblo ruins, dark skies, and water supplies. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) proposal would open a 336,400-acre zone beside the park to fossil fuel and uranium development, reversing protections put in place in 2023.
Key Takeaways
- The BLM wants to eliminate a 10-mile no-drilling buffer shielding Chaco Culture National Historical Park from industrial activity.
- UNESCO says extractive activities are incompatible with World Heritage status and is awaiting a U.S. government response on the plan's impact.
- About 100,000 mostly critical public comments were submitted during a 14-day consultation that closed in July.
- Opponents warn of air and water pollution, ruined dark skies, and irreversible harm to Pueblo cultural sites.
- Most of New Mexico's oil-related water contamination already occurs in the county that includes much of Chaco.
Why is UNESCO concerned about drilling near Chaco?
UNESCO told The Guardian it had received information about the administration's plan and is awaiting a federal response regarding its potential impact. A spokesperson said the World Heritage Committee has consistently considered extractive activities incompatible with World Heritage status.
The committee has also emphasized that projects proposed outside heritage properties must not adversely affect their outstanding universal value—the features that justify a site's inscription. Such projects should undergo appropriate impact assessments before decisions are taken, UNESCO said.
The U.S. maintains 27 World Heritage sites, from Yellowstone and Yosemite to the Statue of Liberty. Chaco, a 53-square-mile park in northwestern New Mexico, holds ruins of Ancestral Pueblo settlements including Pueblo Bonito, its most significant archaeological site.
What would removing the Chaco buffer zone mean?
Former Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, who oversaw the buffer's creation in 2023, said its removal would cause irreversible damage. Maude Dinan of the National Parks Conservation Association said the zone preserves a transportive experience where visitors step back 1,000 years.
Opponents contend drilling would introduce toxic air pollution, risk water contamination from fracking, and bring bright lights and gas flaring that would ruin the internationally recognized dark skies treasured by Pueblo astronomers and today's stargazers.
Daniel Tso, a Navajo Nation community leader, said oil and gas companies have shown disregard for landholders outside the buffer, with some wells within 100 feet of homes. He fears the same pattern inside the zone, where he holds allotments with pristine aquifers.
Who opposes the Trump administration's drilling plan?
A broad coalition of tribal leaders, archaeologists, and environmental groups opposes scrapping the buffer. The plan attracted roughly 100,000 submissions during an unusually short 14-day public comment period, the vast majority hostile.
Advocates note that most of New Mexico's oil-related water contamination already occurs in the county encompassing much of Chaco, according to reporting in The Taos News. Dinan said almost all federal land around Chaco is already leased, questioning the urgency of expanding extraction.
The administration's broader push to open forests, oceans, and protected landscapes to fossil fuel extraction has also raised scrutiny at other heritage sites, including leasing near Carlsbad Caverns and lobbying to lift uranium mining bans near the Grand Canyon. For more on how policy clashes with preservation, see our Future Tech & AI Wonders coverage hub.
The Department of the Interior and National Park Service did not respond to journalists' requests for comment. Full details are available in The Guardian's reporting.