Greater Chaco Region

BACKGROUND: In 2019, as one of her first acts as Land Commissioner, Stephanie Garcia Richard issued an executive order banning new oil and gas leasing on almost 73,000 acres of state lands within ten miles of Chaco Culture National Historical Park (EO-2019-002). The order was subsequently extended in 2023 for an additional 20 years (EO-2023-002). However, because there was no payment associated with the order, the prohibition on new oil and gas leasing can easily be reversed by a future commissioner.

The Biden administration followed Commissioner Garcia Richard’s lead and issued protections for 336,404 acres of federal lands in 2023. Now, the Trump administration has signaled it intends to reopen federal lands in the area to oil and gas development.

To make protections for the state land parcels in the Greater Chaco region more permanent, Commissioner Garcia Richard is seeking to collaborate with organizations committed to protecting the Chaco cultural landscape to raise the money for a restriction on new oil and gas development that cannot be reversed at the whim of another commissioner.