Chaco Lands Leasing Ban – Passage

Passage of the bill that would effectively prohibit any new mining or mineral production activities on federal lands within 10 miles of the Chaco Culture National Historical Park in New Mexico. Specifically, it would withdraw the lands from eligibility for activities permitted under federal laws governing public lands, mining, and mineral and geothermal leasing. The withdrawal would not prohibit the conveyance or exchange of such federal lands to or with Indian tribes. The bill would also require the termination of existing oil and gas leases on federal lands where extraction has not begun by the end of the initial lease.