Project Name: Evaluation of Potential Revocation of Chaco Withdrawal

NEPA Number: DOI-BLM-NM-F010-2026-0002-EA

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Project Information

NEPA Number

DOI-BLM-NM-F010-2026-0002-EA
Project Name

Evaluation of Potential Revocation of Chaco Withdrawal
Project Type

EA
NEPA Status

In Progress - Public Review and Comment Period
Lead Office

Farmington Field Office
Last Updated

7/30/2026 5:00:00 PM

Project Description

The Secretary of the Interior proposes to revoke the withdrawal of up to approximately 336,425 acres of public lands located within a radius of approximately 10 miles surrounding Chaco Culture National Historical Park (CCNHP) in San Juan County, northwestern New Mexico. Public Land Order (PLO) No. 7923 established a withdrawal in 2023 which withdrew these public lands from location and entry under the United States mining laws and from leasing under the mineral leasing laws, subject to valid existing rights, for a 20-year term.
 
Revocation of the PLO No. 7923 withdrawal would restore discretion over mineral leasing to the Bureau of Land Management and would re-open that public land to location and entry under the United States mining laws. It is important to note that the land in question was not withdrawn from disposal under the Materials Act of 1947, which largely concerns the sale of common-variety sand, gravel, and other such commodities from federal land.

The BLM will prepare an environmental assessment that will analyze the following alternatives, which may be refined based on input received during the scoping process:
 
No Action Alternative: 10-mile buffer withdrawal remains in effect
Public Land Order No. 7923 would remain in effect, keeping approximately 336,404 acres closed to new mineral leasing and mineral entry for 20 years, subject to valid existing rights.
 
Alternative 1 (Proposed Action): Revoke the withdrawal in full   
The Secretary or appropriate Secretarial official would revoke the public land order in full, reopening all 336,404 acres to mineral leasing and to location and entry under the U.S. mining laws. Management of mineral resources would conform to the provisions of the 2003 Farmington Resource Management Plan.
 
Alternative 2: Revoke the withdrawal to allow leasing and mining beyond a 5-mile buffer
The Secretary or appropriate Secretarial official would revoke the public land order in part, reopening public lands beyond a 5-mile buffer around Chaco Culture National Historical Park to both mineral leasing and location and entry under the U.S. mining laws.

What's New

The public comment period is now closed.

BLM will carefully consider the public input that was received.

How to Participate in the Draft EA Comment Period: Comments are welcome from U.S. citizens. Please read the draft Environmental Assessment before commenting: click on the Documents link above and then click on Chaco Withdrawal Evaluation_EA_20260715.pdf.

To leave a comment on that document, click the blue Participate Now button and enter your written comments in English. The comment period ends July 29 at 11:59:59 PM, Mountain daylight time (UTC-6).

Quick Facts

Is Chaco Culture National Historic Park (CCNHP) already protected?
Yes. The existing National Park designation covers approximately 33,240 acres. The Proposed Action would not change the protection or size of the Park.

Is oil and gas development proposed within the existing CCNHP?
No. Oil and gas development within the Park is not a feature of the Proposed Action.

In general, are federal mineral resources immediately outside National Park boundaries open to development?
Yes. National Park management ends at the Park boundary. Federal lands outside Park boundaries are managed according to the applicable agency's Land Use Plan.

How to Provide a Substantive Comment: The most effective public comments will contain substantive new facts, analysis, and/or sources that bring new information for the agency to consider. BLM uses public comments to improve the agency's analysis, correct errors, and identify reasonable alternatives. Public comments are not a voting process: agency decisions do not rely upon the number of comments for or against a particular project. Instead, decisions are based on law, regulation, policy, and the analysis of environmental effects.

Effective comments will provide information the agency can act on, such as:

Missing data or corrections
Local knowledge of resources and uses
Specific analytical gaps
Reasonable alternatives or mitigation
Literature or references the agency can cite (e.g. studies, inventories, cultural resource documentation)

Project Location

City	State/Territory	Zip Code	County(ies)
Farmington	New Mexico	87401	San Juan

Application Information

Program

Lands and Realty
Sub-Program

Withdrawals

Project Dates

Start Date

3/31/2026

Project Office Information

Lead Office

Farmington Field Office
Offices

Farmington FO

Contacts

Contact 1 Name

Sarah Scott
Contact 1 Email

[email protected]
Contact 1 Phone

(505) 564-7689