Dozens of protesters gathered outside the Bureau of Land Management office in Santa Fe on Wednesday to speak out against a proposal that could remove protections from over 330,000 acres around Chaco Canyon.
Protesters chanted, “Protect sacred sites! Protect Chaco Canyon!” as they decried the Bureau of Land Management’s plan to roll back Biden-era protections against local oil, gas and mining projects.
“We’re paying for their contamination, and they’re not going to pay for it,” said protester Antonia Ruiz, who argued the changes would harm water supplies and residents’ health. “We should all be enraged because it’s impacting our communities’ health, it’s impacting our waters, [and] it’s impacting the sovereignty of our communities.”
One of the protesters, Cheyenne Antonio, grew up near Chaco Canyon and says the land is part of who she is. Now, she’s calling on officials to expand protections instead of cutting them back.
In San Juan County, commissioners voted Tuesday night to support removing the protections. Bureau of Land Management Director Steve Pearce said it is difficult to balance cultural preservation with economic needs, and pointed out that some Navajo families have depended on energy development for income in the past.
Protesters said the agency should keep the protections in place and also deal with inactive wells and cleanup. “They should be expanding protections,” Ruiz said.
Antonio also said that caring for the land is part of who she is. “I have put my sweat and tears into taking care of this land … I want to see my people succeed in this area,” she said.
