Court rules against drilling permits around Chaco tribal sites in New Mexico

FILE - A hiker sits on a ledge above Pueblo Bonito, the largest archeological site at the Chaco Culture National Historical Park, in northwestern New Mexico, on Aug. 28, 2021. A federal appeals court has sided with environmentalists Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2023, ruling that the U.S. government failed to consider the cumulative effects of greenhouse gas emissions that would result from the approval of nearly 200 drilling permits in an area surrounding Chaco Culture National Historical Park. (AP Photo/Cedar Attanasio, File)

 

The Tenth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in support of environmentalists who challenged the government decision to grant 200 drilling permits around New Mexico’s Chaco Culture National Historical Park.

The Denver-based court said the U.S. government failed to consider the cumulative effects of greenhouse gas emissions from the drilling. A three-judge panel ruled that  federal land managers violated the law by not accounting for the direct, indirect and cumulative effects reported the Associated Press.

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