Haaland, Committee on Natural Resources to Vote on Protecting Chaco Canyon and the Grand Canyon

Chaco Canyon’s four-story tall Pueblo Bonito
THOMAS WILMER

Published July 17, 2019

WASHINGTON  — Tomorrow, the House Natural Resources Committee will hold a markup meeting at 8:00 a.m. MT / 10:00 a.m. ET to consider several bills including H.R. 2181, the Chaco Cultural Heritage Area Protection Act of 2019, which was introduced by the New Mexico Delegation to permanently protect Chaco Canyon. The bill would protect sacred and historic resources located throughout the Greater Chaco region by withdrawing federal land from mineral leasing and disposal within a 10-mile radius of the Chaco Culture National Historical Park.

Haaland co-led a tour of Chaco Canyon in April with members of House Natural Resources Committee in April to highlight the impacts of oil and gas production on the site and the health of surrounding communities. Chaco Canyon has significant cultural importance because it is surrounded by Navajo lands, and is the ancestral homeland of Pueblo people.