Protest BLM December Oil and Gas Lease Sale

 

Responding to public pressure, Interior Secretary Zinke deferred the NM March 2018 oil and gas lease sale, calling for more cultural consultation and admitted that the Greater Chaco Landscape needs more cultural study. But this was just another empty and shallow promise. To date, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has not made a single attempt to survey over 5,400 cultural resources in the region. Now, BLM plans to lease over 84,000 acres of public lands in New Mexico, including more than 46,000 acres in Greater Chaco to oil and gas companies for industrialized fracking on December 6th in an online auction.

 

Over 91% of public lands in the San Juan Basin are already leased for oil and gas, and in southeastern New Mexico, oil and gas companies in the Permian Basin are drilling wells at an astounding rate, contaminating the air and fueling climate change. Now, BLM is developing a new plan that would open up 97% of all public lands in this area for oil and gas development.

 

In offering to sell the proposed lease parcels, BLM has also inappropriately and without any public notice rolled back opportunities for public involvement. Not only has the agency stopped allowing people to fax or email protest comments, but BLM also rolled back the protest period from 30 to 10 days.

 

Rally with us to #ProtectGreaterChaco as we call out and condemn the illegal and unacceptable actions of the BLM. ALL are invited to speak out and join us in a community gathering of song, poetry, and calls to action as we give public statements to BLM to follow through with promises that reflect local voices, tribal rights, and public interest, not just those of industry.

 

We ask that all tribal community members, water protectors, and concerned public citizens, join us to call for greater protection in Greater Chaco.

 

Our demands:

• Demand Free Prior and Informed Consent
• Demand Appropriate Protections for Community Health
• Demand Preservation of our Water and Other Life-Affirming Resources
• Demand that our Sacred Places be left intact and in peace
• Demand that BLM stop rampantly contributing to climate change

 

All impacted communities must stay engaged and DEMAND meaningful consultation, emphasizing that any continued development done without obtaining free, prior, and informed consent from all surrounding Nations is illegal and will not go uncontested. Our fight is for the health of all people, for clean air and water, and for a livable planet.

 

Stand with us at the BLM State Office in Santa Fe to reaffirm our demand to end this ILLEGAL extractive violence on our bodies, our resources, and public lands.

 

Bureau of Land Management - New Mexico

301 Dinosaur Trail, Santa Fe, New Mexico 87508

MAP

 

Bring banners and signs!

 

#NoNewLeases #FrackOffChaco #ProtectGreaterChaco