On April 30, Chairman Wayne Donaldson conveyed a letter of support for the Chaco Cultural Heritage Area Protection Act (S. 1079/H.R. 2181) to the leadership of key House Committees considering the bill. The bill would create approximately a 10-mile protective zone around Chaco Culture National Historical Park, which also comprises the bulk of the Chaco Culture World Heritage Site. Within the protective zone, minerals owned by the federal government would be withdrawn from future leasing and development. (The remainder of the minerals owned by private, state, and tribal entities would not be subject to the withdrawal.) Chaco is a resource of the highest significance, has been the subject of extensive ACHP engagement in Section 106 reviews, and was most recently the focus of a letter from Chairman Donaldson to then-acting DOI Secretary David Bernhardt regarding the postponing of lease sales in the Chaco vicinity.

On April 15, the Energy and Minerals Resources Subcommittee of the House Natural Resources Committee had a site visit and field hearing to consider the environmental impacts of oil and gas development on sacred sites such as Chaco. Executive Director John Fowler attended the events but did not testify. New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham testified, as did the leadership of the All Pueblo Governors’ Council, Acoma Pueblo, and the Navajo Nation. All indicated support for the bill.

After learning that the Natural Resources Committee planned to mark up the bill in the near term without an additional hearing, it appeared that the ACHP would have to move quickly if it was to provide advice on the legislation. In accordance with provisions of the ACHP Operating Procedures addressing situations requiring expedited action on legislation, the executive director consulted with the Executive Committee in crafting a letter of support for the bill. The comments also are consistent with the protocol that the members adopted at the fall 2018 ACHP business meeting for dealing with legislation pertaining to specific historic sites.