Trump Administration Presses Ahead with Oil and Gas Extraction Plans
The administration under Trump is pushing forward with plans to extract oil and gas in areas close to historic sites recognized by the United Nations, despite appeals from the international body.
UNESCO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, informed the Guardian that they have become aware of the administration’s intention to allow drilling in a zone that was previously set up to protect New Mexico’s Chaco Culture National Historical Park. UNESCO mentioned that the world heritage committee has always believed that extractive activities are not in line with maintaining world heritage status, and now they are assessing the potential impacts on properties recognized for their heritage value while waiting for a response from the administration.
Moreover, UNESCO expressed concerns that drilling at this site could lead to negative outcomes and emphasized the need for proper evaluations prior to making decisions that might harm the site’s remarkable universal value.
This park, designated as a world heritage site, preserves the remnants of the Ancestral Puebloans who built their dwellings over a thousand years ago and is significantly regarded as a cultural and spiritual site by many tribes.
In an earlier move, Biden’s Department of the Interior established a protective buffer zone around nearly 336,400 acres of federal land adjacent to the park in 2023. This zone protects federal lands within around ten miles of the site from new mining leases and claims for two decades, as stated by the Museum of Indigenous People.
New Mexico’s Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham and Democratic Senator Ben Ray Luján have joined UNESCO in opposing these plans, with the governor criticizing what she views as insufficient public input before making such an important decision.
“This land is sacred to 20 Pueblo Nations,” she asserted. “It is not a bargaining chip for oil and gas leases.”
The Department of the Interior has not provided any comments in response to inquiries regarding this issue.
