WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Ranking Member of the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, U.S. Senator Ben Ray Luján(D-N.M.), and U.S. Representatives Teresa Leger Fernández (D-N.M.),Melanie Stansbury (D-N.M.), a member of the U.S. House Natural Resources Committee, and Gabe Vasquez (D-N.M.)sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Interior Secretary Doug Burgum urging the Trump Administration to reverse course on its decision toinitiate the process to fully revoke Public Land Order (PLO) No. 7923, which currently protectsthe area around Chaco Canyon from oil and gas drilling.

"Since your confirmation as Secretary of the Interior, we have been in constant, direct communication with you about the importance of protecting the cultural landscape around Chaco Culture National Historical Park (CCNHP)," the lawmakers wrote. "We have invited you to follow in your predecessors' footsteps and visit New Mexico to conduct robust Tribal consultation and community outreach before taking any action on the existing mineral withdrawal around Chaco. Unfortunately, we are writing to express extreme disappointment about the expedited actions the Department of the Interior and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) have taken to formally initiatethe process of revoking Public Land Order (PLO) No. 7923, which currently protects a 10-mile buffer around CCNHP."

Highlighting the legal imperative of engaging Tribal communities, the lawmakers wrote, "Tribes are sovereign governments, and you have a legal trust obligation to Tribal leaders to operate with the highest responsibility and trust, which is not reflected by your expedited actions and unclear directions."

The lawmakers continued, "Chaco Canyon is a sacred cultural landscape central to the identity of Tribes throughout New Mexico. The value of this living landscape does not end at the park boundary. It stretches for miles throughout the greater Chacoan landscape, where Pueblo communities continue to conduct pilgrimages and share stories with current and future generations. Reversing PLO No. 7923 places this heritage at risk."

The lawmakers concluded the letter, "Your legal and moral responsibility as trustee to these Tribes requires your direct attention and involvement in this issue and for meaningful engagement with the Tribes before any action is taken."

Read the full letter here and below:

Dear Secretary Burgum:

Since your confirmation as Secretary of the Interior, we have been in constant, direct communication with you about the importance of protecting the cultural landscape around Chaco Culture National Historical Park (CCNHP). We have invited you to follow in your predecessors' footsteps and visit New Mexico to conduct robust Tribal consultation and community outreach before taking any action on the existing mineral withdrawal around Chaco. Unfortunately, we are writing to express extreme disappointment about the expedited actions the Department of the Interior and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) have taken to formally initiatethe process of revoking Public Land Order (PLO) No. 7923, which currently protects a 10-mile buffer around CCNHP.

Tribes are sovereign governments, and you have a legal trust obligation to Tribal leaders to operatewith the highest responsibility and trust, which is not reflected by your expedited actions and unclear directions. In addition, under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA), you are legally required to ensure that you consider how your actions will affect historic properties, which also requires consulting with each relevant Tribal government. These steps must be taken before pursuing your proposed action. Further, they should not be conducted on an arbitrary "expedited timeline" that risks disregarding the needs and priorities of Tribes. Furthermore, in your appearance before the House Natural Resources Committee on June 12, 2025, you committed your Departmentto sending someone with decision-making authority to conduct in-person, individual Tribal consultation with each Tribe that has an interest in Chaco Canyon.

While meaningful consultation will be exceedingly difficult for the Tribal leaders in the midst ofgrappling with the impact of a federal government shutdown, various upcoming ceremonial activities, and leadership changes, your legal requirements remain. Under BLM's Handbook 1780-1, you are required toprovide a minimum of 30-days for Tribes to comment, butare encouraged to lengthen the timeline where possible and when needed. We respectfully urge you to fulfill these duties during your review of PLO No. 7923 and further request that you stand down on your efforts to revoke the Chaco-area withdrawal.

Chaco Canyon is a sacred cultural landscape central to the identity of Tribes throughout New Mexico. The value of this living landscape does not end at the park boundary. It stretches for miles throughout the greater Chacoan landscape, where Pueblo communities continue to conduct pilgrimages and share stories with current and future generations. Reversing PLO No. 7923 places this heritage at risk. An informal buffer existed in this area for nearly adecade and the withdrawal of federal minerals in the area does not apply to lands held by Navajo allottees who maintain their mineral rights. The process to put the current withdrawal into place took 2.5 years with two opportunities for public comment, including a 120-day initialcomment period. It also built off ofthe one-year leasing moratorium that Secretary Bernhardt placed on the 10-mile zone under President Trump's first term. It is outrageous that your Departmentwould electto completely reverse this process with only 14 days planned for public comment.

Approximately 4,730 documented archaeological sites exist within the 10-mile withdrawal area. Each one of these sites is unique, irreplaceable, and represents the history and story of Chaco Canyon. By proposing to remove the withdrawal completely, you are proposing to expose generations of sites, artifacts, and religion to heavy machinery that will erase them for good. We continue to extend the invitation to visit Chaco so you can experience firsthand the profound cultural and spiritual significance of this sacred landscape.

Your legal and moral responsibility as trustee to these Tribes requires your direct attention and involvement in this issue and for meaningful engagement with the Tribes before any action is taken.

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