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The Interior Department is moving forward with a plan to protect more than 4,000 acres in New Mexico from future oil and gas development and mining within the Placitas area in Sandoval County. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is proposing a 50-year mineral withdrawal that would prevent new mining claims and oil and gas development in the area, subject to valid and existing rights. The move is intended to safeguard sacred Tribal lands, boost important local recreation opportunities, and support wildlife habitat connectivity.
“Today we’re responding to [a] call from Tribes, elected leaders, and community members who want to see these public lands protected,” Interior Secretary Deb Haaland said in a statement. “We look forward to hearing more from the public to inform decisions about how activities, like gravel mining, may impact these lands, including the important cultural and natural resources.”
The Pueblos of San Felipe and Santa Ana have long sought protections for the Placitas area, saying they consider the lands ancestral and sacred. The Interior Department concurs that the area contains known archaeological resources from as far back as the prehistoric Paleoindian period through the early days of New Mexico's statehood. The proposed withdrawal area is also near the Albuquerque metro area and is a popular place for hiking, camping, sightseeing, and hunting, according to Interior's statement.
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Utah is going through the couch looking for loose change to try and put water into the Great Salt Lake instead of doing what every future homeowner does, which is establish a plan about how to pay the debt. We are in debt because we’re overusing water on our homes and on our farms.”
