Interior secretary orders 10-mile buffer for Chaco Canyon

Jun. 2—Interior Secretary Deb Haaland issued a long-awaited order Friday to bar new fossil fuel leasing and mining for 20 years in a 10-mile zone around Chaco Culture National Historical Park, an area at the heart of a fierce battle between energy interests and those seeking to protect the environment and Indigenous heritage.

Although significant, the order isn't likely to settle the complex set of conflicts among tribal leaders, conservationists, politicians and energy companies on how to manage the greater Chaco area, which is as rich in oil as it is in Indigenous cultural heritage.

In a statement, Haaland, the first Indigenous woman to head Interior, said her order was in response both to a decadeslong effort to protect the Chaco landscape and to tribal communities expressing concerns about the impact new fossil fuel development would have on areas of profound cultural connection.

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