Paul Tonko: “I thank the gentlewoman for yielding. Mr. Chair, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 2181, the Chaco Cultural…”

“I thank the gentlewoman for yielding. Mr. Chair, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 2181, the Chaco Cultural Heritage Area Protection Act of 2019. One thousand years ago, Chaco Canyon was the center of a vibrant ancestral Puebloan culture that became the focal point for ceremonies, for trade, and for political activity in the prehistoric Four Corners area. Today, thousands of ancestral sites and cultural resources are spread across the Chaco region, while at the same time pump jacks, such as the one shown here, have become increasingly present across the landscape. Currently, only a small portion of the region's sacred sites and abundant cultural resources are protected within the Chaco Cultural National Historical Park, with much of the surrounding land available for oil and gas development. The greater Chaco region is a prime example of how sacred sites are facing increased threats from encroaching oil and gas development and the Trump administration's energy dominance agenda. The Bureau of Land Management has already leased over 90 percent of the public land in the larger San Juan Basin for oil and gas extraction, and under the Trump administration, BLM has proposed to lease parcels near Chaco on three different occasions. Increased fossil fuel extraction not only threatens the region's cultural resources, it also threatens clean air and water, as well as the health and safety of surrounding communities.…”