Despite protests from Native Americans, environmentalists and others, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management on Wednesday auctioned oil and gas drilling rights to 843 acres in the Chaco Canyon region of northwest New Mexico.The rights sold for $3 million, according to the BLM.At least 15 bidders participated in the online auction, but the agency didn’t immediately provide the names or corporate interests of the bidders, including those who won the drilling rights.The sale of the parcels had been postponed on three occasions since 2012.

Rachael Lorenzo, a policy associate with the group Young Women United, called the sale “a direct assault on indigenous history and culture.”“The health and safety of Indigenous people and all New Mexicans are at stake,” she said in a statement.

Replete with archaeological sites, including Indian ruins, the area of Chaco Canyon National Historic Park has particular significance for Native communities.Those who live in the area say existing oil and gas drilling is already polluting the air and environment. The Farmington area is home to the United States’ largest concentration of methane pollution, one of the most dense greenhouse gases. Living close to methane pollution has been linked to poor health, particularly respiratory problems.

BLM officials said they needed to move ahead with the auction because of a loss of federal royalties due to extraction of the area’s oil and gas by nearby operators on state and private land.

Source: Oil, gas drilling rights near Chaco Canyon sold for $3M – The Santa Fe New Mexican: Local News