{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://vasquez.house.gov/media/press-releases/rep-vasquez-leads-new-mexico-delegation-urging-interior-secretary-burgum", "Rep. Vasquez Leads New Mexico Delegation in Urging Interior Secretary Burgum to Protect Chaco Canyon", "2025-11-14", "2025", "2025-11", "Democrat", "House", "NM", "Gabe Vasquez", "V000136", "vasquez.house.gov", "vasquez", "https://vasquez.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 Earlier this month, U.S. Representative Gabe Vasquez (NM-02) led an effort to protect New Mexico\u2019s sacred lands by calling on U.S. Department of the Interior Secretary Doug Burgum to reverse the Administration\u2019s decision to begin the process of revoking Public Land Order (PLO) No. 7923, which safeguards the lands surrounding Chaco Culture National Historical Park (CCNHP) from new oil and gas leasing.\n\nVasquez spearheaded a letter \u2014 joined by U.S. Senators Martin Heinrich and Ben Ray Luj\u00e1n, and Representatives Teresa Leger Fern\u00e1ndez and Melanie Stansbury \u2014 urging Secretary Burgum to uphold protections for the greater Chaco landscape.\n\n\u201cChaco Canyon tells the story of our ancestors, and it\u2019s our responsibility to ensure that story continues to be told by future generations,\u201d said Vasquez. \u201cProtecting this sacred landscape isn\u2019t just about preserving history \u2014 it\u2019s about honoring our commitments to Tribal nations and respecting their sovereignty. New Mexicans understand that economic progress and cultural preservation can go hand in hand, and revoking these protections would erase decades of productive cooperation and threaten sacred lands that define who we are.\u201d\n\nThis effort builds on Vasquez\u2019s strong record of leadership in protecting New Mexico\u2019s sacred lands and cultural heritage. As Founder and Co-Chair of the Bipartisan Public Lands Caucus, Vasquez has united lawmakers from across the political spectrum to protect America\u2019s public lands. He has also led the charge to reintroduce the Chaco Cultural Heritage Area Protection Act, landmark legislation that will permanently safeguard Chaco Canyon and the greater sacred landscape surrounding Chaco Culture National Historical Park. The bill would prohibit new oil, gas, and mineral leasing on non-Indian federal lands within a 10-mile buffer zone around the park \u2014 ensuring that these irreplaceable cultural treasures are preserved and that Tribal sovereignty and heritage are honored for generations to come.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:52:45Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://vasquez.house.gov/media/press-releases/rep-vasquez-leads-new-mexico-delegation-urging-interior-secretary-burgum"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.0858201421797276, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}