The Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) decision to abandon environmental impact statements (EIS) for oil and gas leasing on 3.5 million acres of public lands — including critical regions in New Mexico — is not just a regulatory rollback. It’s a betrayal of communities that are already bearing the brunt of the extractive industry’s harms. By sidestepping these reviews, the BLM reinforces decades of systemic exclusion, prioritizing profit over the health of Indigenous, Latino, and hard-working New Mexican communities who live in the shadows of drilling rigs and methane flares.
The move echoes a familiar pattern: exploiting crises to silence community voices. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the BLM rushed virtual hearings, excluding Indigenous and Tribal communities without broadband access. Now, under the guise of an “energy emergency,” the BLM repeats the same playbook. Indigenous leaders in Chaco Canyon have long documented how drilling ravages cultural sites and poisons water sources. Yet, instead of centering these testimonies, the BLM fast-tracks leases, ignoring asthma rates in Navajo communities and the spiritual toll of disturbed lands. Stakeholder engagement isn’t a checkbox — it’s ensuring every environmental decision begins with who is impacted, not how much can be extracted.
Communities across western states deserve an opportunity to comment on and protest BLM’s environmental impact statements, at minimum. A recent Conservation in the West Poll found that 70% of New Mexicans prefer that leaders place more emphasis on protecting water, air, wildlife habitat, and recreation opportunities over maximizing the amount of land available for drilling and mining. New Mexico is not a “sacrifice zone” for corporate interests - it’s a living tapestry of landscapes that hold our stories and traditions and a place where clean air and water ought to be non-negotiable rights.
Public lands are not a commodity. They are a covenant between generations to be stewarded responsibly with direct input from all stakeholders. Nuestra Tierra stands with frontline communities fighting to ensure that “public lands” mean more than empty promises— they mean breathable air, drinkable water, and lands where history and culture are preserved.