Rep. Stansbury Calls for Public to Weigh in on Chaco Canyon Proposal this Week

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Congresswoman Melanie Stansbury (NM-01) released the following statement on the Trump Administration’s proposal to remove protections for the Greater Chaco Canyon Landscape. In the Administration’s April 1, 2026 announcement from the Bureau of Land Management, the Administration announced it would take the unprecedented step of allowing only seven days for the public to comment on its proposal to revoke protections put in place by Secretary Deb Haaland during the Biden Administration. Rep. Stansbury issued the following call to action to members of the public:

"Chaco Canyon is sacred. As the Trump Administration rushes to push through oil and gas leasing in the greater Chaco Landscape—they announced yesterday that they will give just one week for public comment on removing protections for this sacred place. This is wrong and unconscionable. We need the public to speak up loud and clear—and say no to drilling in Chaco Canyon. 

This Administration’s attempt to push through leasing without appropriate tribal consultation and community engagement threatens a landscape that has been home to Pueblo and Diné people for thousands of years and is sacred to our communities. 

That is why we are fighting to ensure it is protected for generations to come. We need the public’s voices to continue speaking up, speaking out, and supporting Chaco Canyon."

Members of the public can make their voices heard by submitting public comment here.

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