Drilling in Chaco Canyon Rejected

From the NM Wilderness Alliance:
State Land Commissioner Patrick Lyons has decided not to allow a Colorado company to place two oil wells south of the Chaco Canyon visitor center in northwest New Mexico.

''We have a moral obligation to maintain the integrity of Chaco Canyon, and in all good consciousness I cannot allow the project to move forward,'' state Land Commissioner Pat Lyons said in a statement issued Tuesday. Read the full story here. Read more about the New Mexico Wilderness Alliance's efforts to designate over 15,000 acres of wilderness in and around Chaco Canyon here. Excerpt:

Through on-the-ground surveys and GIS analysis, New Mexico Wilderness Alliance found over 1 million road free acres in the seven National Park lands that lie in our two state region. These include: Chaco Canyon National Historic Park, Bandelier National Park, El Malpais National Monument, White Sands National Monument, Big Bend National Park, Guadalupe Mountains National Park and Carlsbad Caverns National Park. Putting these lands into the National Wilderness Preservation System protects them forever from the changes in Administrations that we clearly see can impact our wildest public lands. Threats come from power lines, cell towers and off-road vehicles. The list is long and the protection of these lands is urgent.

... Many of the Parks are just beginning the scoping phase and soliciting your comments concerning the fate of these important lands. Please contact them today and let them know wilderness is your priority. Also, in these very tough political times, it is imperative that
our elected officials get the strong message that our parks need more funding and less political interference.

Finally, help the New Mexico Wilderness Alliance in its effort to protect these magnificent National Park Lands. Please visit our website for more information or make a contribution today, to NMWA’s National Park fund.