Congress reopens sacred Chaco lands to oil and gas drilling
H.R. 606 — Energy Opportunities for All Act · Filed by Eli Crane (R-AZ) · 2 cosponsors · Introduced Jan 22, 2025 · Referred to committee
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What it does
This bill nullifies a 2023 federal order that had withdrawn public lands around Chaco Culture National Historical Park in New Mexico from mineral leasing. By voiding that withdrawal order, the bill restores those lands to mineral-entry eligibility, allowing oil, gas, and other mineral extraction on federal property adjacent to the archaeological park.
Why we flagged it
The bill's sole operative function is to restore mineral-leasing eligibility on federal lands previously protected from extraction. The title 'Energy Opportunities for All' frames this as broad economic benefit, but the mechanism is narrowly targeted at reopening a specific withdrawal that had protected lands near a cultural and archaeological site.
What the text implies
- Reopening lands adjacent to Chaco Culture National Historical Park may increase pressure on the park itself through cumulative impacts (dust, noise, groundwater depletion, light pollution) affecting both the archaeological resource and visitor experience.
- The bill does not address consultation with Navajo Nation, Pueblo tribes, and other Indigenous nations for whom Chaco is a sacred site — the original withdrawal reflected tribal input that this bill effectively overrides without new tribal engagement.
- Mineral leasing on these lands generates federal royalties, but the bill does not specify revenue-sharing with affected tribes or local communities, creating a private-sector benefit (extraction rights) with public/tribal costs (environmental and cultural damage).
Section numbers refer to the bill text the analysis read — linked under Primary records below.
Who it affects
The bill prioritizes extractive industry access over environmental and cultural protection. Reopening lands adjacent to a UNESCO World Heritage Site and sacred Native American site to mineral extraction increases air/water pollution risk, threatens archaeological resources, and undermines the conservation intent of the original withdrawal — costs borne by citizens, tribes, and future generations.
Who stands to gain
- oil and gas companies
- mineral extraction firms
- energy sector operators
Named in the bill
Public Land Order No. 7923, Chaco Culture National Historical Park, San Juan County, New Mexico, Bureau of Land Management (implied), Navajo Nation, Pueblo tribes
Where it stands
2 cosponsors: 2 Republicans.
- Jan 22, 2025 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
- Jan 22, 2025 — Referred to House Committee on Natural Resources · Congress.gov: “Referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources”
Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.
How this was measured
Analysis — Quorum's AI read the bill text published by Congress.gov (327 characters) on Jun 3, 2026. Section numbers in the findings refer to that text, linked below; transparency and hidden-provision scores are compared against the median of 16,222 analysed bills.
Status and sponsors — Congress.gov's bill record — actions, committee referrals and cosponsors — loaded nightly. The timeline shows status changes, not every procedural action.
As of — page rendered 2026-10-20.
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