From PennEnvironment (http://www.pennenvironment.org):
Last December, badgers, bobcats and more desert critters saw their habitat survive another day when Congress installed a one-year moratorium on drilling near Chaco Canyon.
But in a short six months, the temporary ban on drilling near the canyon will end.1
If we don’t speak up, this haven for desert wildlife and home to culturally significant ruins could soon host drilling rigs and oil pipelines.
So we’re urging U.S. Department of the Interior Secretary Deb Haaland to put a permanent end to drilling near this beloved place. Add your name at https://pennenvironment.webaction.org/p/dia/action4/common/public/?action_KEY=45091.
During the day, visitors to Chaco Canyon can see more than 4,000 archaeological sites — shadows of a culture that thrived hundreds of years ago. And at night, the remoteness and lack of light pollution allows stars to light up every corner of the “International Dark Sky Park.”2
But outside the canyon, a storm is brewing: Already, 91 percent of the federal lands surrounding the park are leased to fossil fuel companies.3
The threat of drilling clouds the park’s future as oil rigs — and the air pollution and bright work lights that come with them — could snuff out Chaco Canyon’s unique light.
Add your name to stand up against drilling near Chaco Canyon.
Already, too many species must constantly avoid the dangers of development. Fortunately, the elk, badgers, bobcats and other creatures in Chaco Canyon still have the chance to thrive in this remote treasure — that is, as long as it remains unscarred from the toils of oil and gas drilling.
That’s why we celebrated when Congress blocked these plans to drill and granted Chaco Canyon a one-year reprieve from drilling near the park. But in six months, that reprieve ends.
That’s why we need you now. Tell Secretary Haaland to permanently protect Chaco Canyon today.
1. Jake Taber, “Chaco Canyon, a priceless desert park and cultural site, wins reprieve from oil and gas drilling,” Environment America, February 26, 2021.
2. “Chaco Night Sky Program,” National Park Service, last accessed June 1, 2021.
3. Ernie Atencio, “We can still save Chaco Canyon,” Albuquerque Journal, September 9, 2019.
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