Press Release: Diné and Pueblo Solidarity Group Demands 90-Day Extension for Chaco Withdrawal Comment Period

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

July 24, 2026

Contact

Emerald Sage, Director of Communications, Sovereign Energy, 443-952-1114, emerald@sovereignenergy.org

Marissa Naranjo, Pueblo Community Member, marissa@sovereignenergy.org

Cheyenne Antonio, Diné Community Member, c.antonio40@gmail.com

Daniel Tso, Diné allotment shareholder, 505-567-0289, 49detso@gmail.com

Diné and Pueblo Solidarity Group Demands 90-Day Extension for Chaco Withdrawal Comment Period, Unveil Critical Findings, Send Delegation to DC, and Plan Public Protests

Coalition Releases Analysis of the Draft EA, Demands a Comment Period Extension, Announces Protest and Coalition Delegation to Visit DC

Santa Fe, NM–This week, the Diné and Pueblo Solidarity Group—which includes local Diné allottees, Pueblo community members, and allies—released key findings from their analysis of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Draft Environmental Assessment (EA) on Public Land Order No. 7923 (PLO 7923). The PLO proposes to eliminate the hard-won 10-mile buffer zone around Chaco Cultural National Historical Park, and the Draft EA details the environmental impacts of that revocation. 

The Group criticizes the Draft EA’s inadequacy, citing a harmful lack of consultation, future preparation, and detailed analysis on the environmental, human, and cultural impacts of removing the buffer zone. The Draft EA fails to assess the disproportionate impacts on Indigenous communities and local residents, the negative long-term impacts, and the overall increase of greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change.

“Tribal consultation and incorporating ethnographic studies conducted by Tribal nations is not optional. It is federal law, and the BLM is violating these rules and regulations. We demand the federal government meaningfully include the input of Tribes and Pueblos before any further actions are taken. And we further demand a 90-day extension to ensure our voices are heard,” said Daniel Tso, Diné Allotment shareholder and elder. 

While the Draft EA focuses much of its analysis on a limited oil and gas development scenario (14 additional wells), the proposal’s far more consequential effect is reopening one of the most culturally significant landscapes in the Southwest to uranium and other hardrock mineral development. Despite acknowledging 129 existing mining claims within the withdrawal area, BLM largely dismisses the potential for renewed uranium mining without meaningfully evaluating the risks to Indigenous communities, water resources, sacred landscapes, or public health. 

“The Draft Environmental Assessment is an attack on our people, our culture, future generations, and the sacred area of Chaco,” said Marissa Naranjo, Sovereign Energy, Santa Clara Pueblo. “We will not stand silent as our communities are put at risk. We will continue to fight for the protection of the Greater Chaco Region and our communities.”

The public comment period is being held as the BLM continues to hold quarterly oil and gas lease sales in the Greater Chaco region through the Farmington and Rio Puerco Field Offices. The next sale is proposing to lease 12 parcels of ancestral lands totaling 16,855.5 acres on August 19, 2026.

In response, the Group is sending a small delegation of Diné frontline leaders to DC to meet with policymakers. Additionally, the group is organizing two public protests at BLM Headquarters in Santa Fe: one next Wednesday, July 29th at 1 pm, to oppose the buffer revocation; and a second on August 19th to oppose the August oil and gas lease sale. 

The withdrawal area is based on the 10-mile Chaco Protection Zone proposed in federal legislation, which was developed over many years, through government-to-government consultation, 8 public meetings, 150 days of total public comment, and an environmental analysis informed by Navajo and Pueblo ethnographers. 

“The Draft Environmental Assessment reads like a justification for a decision BLM has already made, not a comprehensive analysis of how extraction would impact people and land. It dismisses past public participation, Tribal consultation, and Diné and Pueblo-led ethnographic studies. This is illegal and harmful,” said Cheyenne Antonio, Diné Community Member of Pueblo Pintado.  

The DOI’s timeline for PLO undermines public and Tribal participation and threatens Tribal sovereignty, cultural protection, and community health. The BLM only gave 7 days for the public scoping period and now only 14 days for the Draft EA public comment period. The agency has provided no public outreach, little plain-language information, and an online process that is difficult to navigate for rural and Tribal communities facing internet, transportation, language, and capacity barriers. As a result, Tribal organizations are being forced to do BLM’s job—canvassing communities, translating complex documents, organizing public meetings, responding to the media, and helping people submit comments. Through these community-led efforts in coordination with multiple Pueblos, Tribal organizations have already reached hundreds of community members who want to participate, demonstrating the strong public interest and need for a longer, more accessible comment period. 

“As an allotment shareholder of lands both within and outside the buffer zone, I know that the federal government has a fiduciary duty to protect and preserve lands for future generations,” said Daniel Tso, Diné allotment shareholder. “But over the years, I have seen the BLM fail to regulate the oil and gas industry. That job falls to the State of New Mexico, where there are inadequate regulations and enforcement capabilities. That’s why I’m standing up to prevent more of our lands from being destroyed.” 

Pueblos, Tribes, and Indigenous frontline leaders insist that any federal action affecting the Greater Chaco landscape must include meaningful consultation with Tribal Nations and engagement with Navajo Chapters, allotment owners, and affected communities, as legally required by Executive Order 13175, Secretarial Order 3317, and Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act. Additionally, the All Pueblo Council of Governors, the Diné and Pueblo Solidarity Group, and other large national organizations urge the BLM to provide a minimum of 90 days for the public to comment on the Draft EA.

The All Pueblo Council of Governors is calling on the public to submit comments in support of maintaining the buffer zone and demand the BLM extend the public comment period. Indigenous organizations have created a toolkit that helps members of the public learn more about the issues and how to submit a comment. The coalition also encourages those in the Santa Fe and Albuquerque area to attend the upcoming protests.

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