Wholistic Fitness

As a child, my daddy who stood on his feet 6 days a week at Kroegers hardware store in Durango would take us kids out to the Rez near your Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Farmington Field Office (FFO)
to…PICK UP LITTER ALL DAY LONG!!!! since then? i have established my OWN lifelong legacy of creating yoga programs, health awareness, and trail building for the Navajo Rez.

i understand that the BLM is amending its 2003 Resource Management Plan (RMP) to include new industrialized fracking in Greater Chaco. I urge you to use this opportunity to halt all new leases and turn the tide to bring back land-use balance.

91% of public lands in northwest New Mexico are leased to oil and gas development. We have over 40,000 wells. As a result of this development, we have suffered from the methane hotspot, failing grades for ozone pollution, regional haze problems, spills, and even this summer’s disastrous WPX well pad fire. Continuing to drill will only exacerbate damaging impacts to our communities, environment, and the climate.

Although the BLM is governed by the multiple-use-mandate, for decades BLM has expedited oil and gas above all other uses. We are past the point where any balance can be achieved.

Therefore, I ask that you first impose an immediate MORATORIUM on all oil and gas leasing and drilling approvals until the RMP-A is complete, as federal law requires.

Then, I ask that you include the following in your RMP amendment (RMP-A) alternatives:

(1) NO NEW LEASING: The BLM is required by the multiple-use-mandate to balance uses of public lands. In order to comply, the BLM FFO must withdraw all remaining unleased mineral resources from leasing eligibility.

(2) LEASE RETIREMENT: To restore even a semblance of balance, existing, non-producing oil and gas leases must be retired, making these public lands available for other resource uses and conservation.

(3) CULTURAL, ENVIRONMENTAL, AND PUBLIC HEALTH SAFEGUARDS: The BLM FFO must comprehensively analyze impacts of existing and potential oil and gas development on public health, air and water quality, local quality of life, cultural resources, the environment, and climate change.

(4) TRIBAL CONSULTATION: The BLM must conduct tribal consultation at every stage of decision-making. Tribal consultation must not be limited to a single conversation with Navajo Nation Government. Indigenous peoples with interest in Greater Chaco are not limited to the Navajo Tribal Council government. Therefore, review and consultation must extend to all Tribes who trace lineage and sacred lands to Chaco culture as well as traditional Navajo Chapters.

Thank you for considering my comments.