“Almost all of the federal land around places like Chaco and Carlsbad is already leased for oil and gas drilling, so the idea there’s an urgent new demand for this is an illusion. There doesn’t seem like a good coexistence going on at the moment.”

Maude Dinan · said date not stated · reported 2026-08-20

Dinan questioned the rationale for new drilling given existing leases near Chaco and Carlsbad.