ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Dozens of protests have been filed by tribal officials, environmentalists and others as federal land managers consider leasing parcels in northwestern New Mexico for oil and gas development that critics say are too close to sites they consider culturally significant.
The upcoming lease sale marks the latest flare-up in a long-running dispute over management of vast expanses of land surrounding Chaco Culture National Historical Park.
The Bureau of Land Management has received 120 protests opposing the March sale. In 2014, similar concerns boiled over, resulting in the agency considering 116 appeals.
It's not clear when a final decision will come on the latest protests.
Efforts in recent years to petition the agency to set aside parts of the Chaco region as an area of critical environmental concern have been unsuccessful.
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