The original content of Democracy Now! Headlines appears under the Creative Commons BY-NC-ND 3.0 License (United States). For more, including their other shows and media, visit www.democracynow.org. June 5, 2023 Interior Dept. Announces 20-Year Halt on New Oil and Gas Leasing at Chaco Canyon -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Interior Secretary Deb Haaland announced Friday new oil and gas leases will not be permitted on public lands in and around the Chaco Canyon National Historical Park in New Mexico. The ban will be in effect for 20 years but only affects new leases. It comes after decades of organizing by Indigenous groups, which consider Chaco Canyon a sacred site.