Two bidders purchased four parcels containing oil and gas resources near Chaco Culture National Historical Park in a controversial Bureau of Land Management lease sale Wednesday.
The sale had been challenged by environmental groups and members of the Navajo Nation. They said it was inappropriate because Chaco Canyon is a UNESCO World Heritage Site as well as a Dark Sky Park. They said 90 percent of the land around Chaco is already leased for energy development and the BLM had not adequately considered potential impacts. The Farmington Daily-Times reports the parcels sold for $2.9 million. Jimbo Buickerood of the San Juan Citizens Alliance called the sale “a shame for the Chaco area.”
