ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — A federal appeals court says the U.S. government failed to consider the cumulative effects of greenhouse gas emissions that would result from the approval of nearly 200 drilling permits issued in an area surrounding Chaco Culture National Historical Park.
The region is home to sites considered culturally significant by Native American tribes. Chaco has been a focal point of conflict over energy development for multiple presidential administrations. Now, environmentalists and some tribal leaders have accused the Biden administration of “rubber-stamping” more development. The Interior Department is considering establishing a formal 10-mile buffer around the park, putting off limits more than 507 square miles of federal mineral holdings.