Approval of oil leases in New Mexico prompts legal challenge

By SUSAN MONTOYA BRYAN
Associated Press

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — The Biden administration’s approval of oil leases in a corner of New Mexico that has become a battleground over increased development and the preservation of Native American sites has prompted another legal challenge. Environmental groups are suing the Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland. They contend in a complaint filed Wednesday that the federal government is going back on its word by clearing the way for oil and gas development on federal lands near Chaco Culture National Historical Park. The Bureau of Land Management says the parcels in question are outside a 10-mile buffer zone around the park.