1. United States
2. Ariz.
3. Letter

The Bureau of Land Management is fast-tracking the decision that impacts Chaco Canyon, a 1,000+ year-old sacred cultural and historical site, with an outrageously short public comment period. BLM plans to release a Draft Environmental Assessment in the coming months, followed by just 7 days for public input. This would reverse Public Land Order 7923, which was established in 2023 to protect the Greater Chaco Landscape from new oil and gas drilling. The BLM is reviewing options that include fully reopening the 336,000-acre buffer zone to leasing, reducing the protected buffer to five miles, or maintaining the current protection. A 7-day public comment period was opened in early April 2026. The agency has signaled a preferred option of full revocation and aims to reach a decision by late June 2026. The move is part of a broader review of federal land protections (Secretarial Order 3418) initiated in 2025 to increase energy production. We don't need more oil. We have surpluses. The oil produced in the U.S. is not typically adequate for refinement into gasoline and processing would cause oil producers to lose money because their equipment is set up for Middle East 'Sour' (higher Sulphur) crude. What we need is a resolution to the disastrous war in Iran so that oil that we need and can actually use from the Arab states can begin to flow again. 7 days to save a 1,000+ year old heritage site? Did you know that prior to the 1890s, Chaco was the largest building in North America? This is a catastrophe! A travesty! A sin against the people of the United States! What are you doing to protect this sacred site?