US Interior Sec. David L. Bernhardt agreed to defer oil and gas leasing near Chaco Canyon in New Mexico following a visit with tribal leaders in the area, US Sen. Martin T. Heinrich (D-NM) reported.
This will give the US Bureau of Land Management time to draft a new resource management plan and Congress time to consider the bill he and Sen. Tom Udall (D-NM) introduced on Apr. 9 to withdraw federal lands around Chaco Canyon from further mineral development, Heinrich said.
He said Bernhardt agreed to put any leasing within 10 miles of the park on hold for a year.
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