Deb Haaland: “This amendment is just another attempt to distract from the importance of this proposal, which is listening to Tribal…”

“This amendment is just another attempt to distract from the importance of this proposal, which is listening to Tribal voices by protecting the sacred sites of Chaco Canyon from oil and gas extraction. The bill would not impact New Mexico revenue streams in the slightest. The State has already withdrawn State lands in Chaco and opted to protect our indigenous lands, because they also recognize the value of our outdoor economy which requires a clean environment. The bill would not impact the New Mexico revenue streams in the slightest. This country is the largest producer of oil and gas in the world. We produce over 12 million barrels of crude oil a day, sending 3 million of those to other countries. Lack of access to oil and gas is not an issue in New Mexico, and this bill will in no way hinder the tremendous amount of energy extraction in the State. Between 2010 and 2018, oil production in New Mexico increased by nearly 400 percent, and the State is now the third largest producer in the Nation after Texas and North Dakota. In the San Juan Basin where Chaco Canyon is located, 90 percent of public land is already open to development. Must every inch of land be swallowed by oil and gas-sucking machinery? Thousands of sacred ancestral sites to the Pueblo people are sites where Indians are under threat unless we act. Tribes across New Mexico and this country have asked this body to protect Chaco Canyon.…”