Sec. Haaland Ignored Navajo Sovereignty in Chaco Withdrawal

​Voices of Navajo Nation were ignored by Interior Secretary Deb Haaland when she decided to lock up over 336 million acres in northwestern New Mexico, according to tribal witnesses during a recent congressional hearing.
 
The president of the Navajo Nation, Buu Nygren, expressed his frustration before the House Committee on Natural Resources as lawmakers consider legislation to reverse Secretary Haaland’s decision to establish a ten-mile buffer around Chaco Culture Historical National Park.

​“The legislative body of the Navajo Nation Council and I are unified in our opposition to the ten-mile buffer. The withdrawal was done without meaningful consultation and fails to honor the Navajo Nation sovereignty. Respect for tribal sovereignty must be consistent, even when it is not convenient. The nation offered a compromise that honored Navajo sovereignty and the rights of our allottees, but that was rejected with inadequate explanation from the administration.”

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