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The federal government recently placed a 10-mile protective ring around Chaco Canyon. It banned new oil and gas drilling for twenty years. The goal was to protect more than 4,700 documented ancient Indigenous sites.

Now, that buffer is being dismantled.

The Bureau of Land Management just triggered a process to reverse the order. They opened a public comment period. It lasts exactly 14 days.

Interior Secretary Doug Burgum had previously promised direct, in-person consultations with tribal leaders before making any changes. Tribal leaders say those meetings never happened. Instead, the rollback is moving rapidly ahead.

Local drilling advocates and some Navajo Nation allottees argue the land offers crucial revenue and economic development. Tribal advocates call the move a fast-tracked threat to a UNESCO World Heritage Site of immense spiritual significance. The clock to decide is already ticking.