Interior secretary delays Chaco drilling plan during New Mexico visit

The novel coronavirus raging in the Navajo Nation and New Mexico pueblos in part prompted U.S. Interior Secretary David Bernhardt to announce Thursday the extension of the public comment period on a plan that will shape the future of oil and gas drilling near Chaco Culture National Historical Park.

Tribal officials have met with or spoken remotely with Bernhardt about a need to extend the comment period as tribal lands endure the worst of the state’s outbreak of COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus. The state’s Democratic congressional delegation, including U.S. Sens. Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich, also had urged Bernhardt to delay a decision on the Farmington Mancos-Gallup Draft Resource Management Plan amendment and environmental impact statement.

On Thursday, Bernhardt said the Department of the Interior will extend the public comment period by 120 days as tribal leaders continue grappling with containing the COVID-19 pandemic and its repercussions.

“Certainly, that was a factor for them,” Bernhardt said in an interview with The New Mexican on Thursday.

“At the same time, I think they and I agree that there may be some positive effects from this in terms of a recognition that virtual public meetings, given where the technology is, we can actually have more people involved in public meetings,” Bernhardt added.

The plan could determine the future of oil and gas leases on federal land surrounding the park, which is rich with archaeological and cultural resources, and considered sacred by many Native Americans.

Bernhardt previously had delayed a decision to open up the 10-mile Chaco buffer zone — an area where oil and gas drilling has been prohibited — saying in a 2019 interview with The New Mexican that he has a deep respect for the park and the area. But the buffer is again under review, with some in the Navajo Nation arguing to maintain it and others arguing it should be smaller to allow for more oil and gas production.

The interior secretary said the department will take both sides into consideration when making a decision.

Prior to the extension, Udall, Heinrich and some tribal leaders had urged Bernhardt to extend the time the federal government is allowing for public input on the plan. They also had decried the virtual meeting platform, which they said excluded many Native Americans because of a lack of broadband access on tribal land.

“I talked to President Nez about that,” Bernhardt said, referring to Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez. “He and I share an interest in expanding broadband capabilities.”

Bernhardt added there are also “challenges” in traveling long distances in spread-out, rural tribal territory to participate in meetings in person. He said people can access Wi-Fi “in libraries and things like that” to take part in the virtual meetings.

In 2017, the Torreon/Star Lake Community Library was the first public library on the New Mexico side of the Navajo Nation, the Navajo Times reported that year.

No one answered the phone at the library Thursday, and there was no notice on the website indicating whether it was open. Libraries and dine-in restaurants that may offer wireless internet elsewhere in New Mexico have been closed during the pandemic.

Bernhardt said there likely will be more virtual meetings on the Chaco plan within the next 120 days.

The secretary’s visit to New Mexico follows trips to North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Virginia last week to tout President Donald Trump’s “Opening up America Again” plan.

Bernhardt said his visit to New Mexico is part of the same national tour. The secretary praised Petroglyph National Monument and Valle de Oro National Wildlife Refuge — both in Albuquerque — for remaining open during the pandemic, along with most federal lands.

He said more will open soon and lauded Trump’s outline for states to begin reopening during the pandemic.

“I think that we’re moving forward in a smart, methodical way,” Bernhardt said. “The reality is that the president and the American people have come to a conclusion that you really can social distance, and public lands provide an opportunity to maintain social distance while getting out and enjoying the grandeur, the spectacular reality of our public lands.”