Gabby Brown, gabby.brown@sierraclub.org
Nageezi, NM -- Last night, Senator Martin Heinrich and Interior Secretary David Bernhardt announced a commitment from the Department of the Interior to place a one-year moratorium on oil and gas leasing within a 10-mile buffer zone around Chaco Culture National Historical Park.
Plans for expanded fracking in the Greater Chaco region have faced enormous public backlash from local communities, as well as from the New Mexico Congressional delegation. The Chaco Cultural Heritage Area Protection Act, introduced in both the House and Senate last month, would permanently protect this area from any future leasing.
In response, Lena Moffitt, Senior Director of the Sierra Club’s Our Wild America campaign, released the following statement:
“This is a major victory for the Navajo Nation, Pueblo tribes, and the thousands of people who have rallied to limit destructive fracking in Greater Chaco. It’s a testament to the power of communities standing together in opposition to extractive industries that threaten their culture, health, and safety. There’s still much work to be done to ensure that this special place and the people who live there are protected from the dangers of expanded fracking, and we will continue to fight to achieve permanent protections within the 10-mile buffer zone and beyond.”
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with more than 3.5 million members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.