"BLM Postpones Land Auction Near Chaco Canyon"

"The Bureau of Land Management announced Monday that several parcels of land intended for oil and gas drilling in northwestern New Mexico will no longer be put up for bid at a leasing auction in October.

The leases in question collectively span 2,122 acres in the Farmington and Greater Chaco Canyon region, near territory proclaimed by the United Nations as a World Heritage Site because of its cultural significance.

The bureau postponed the auction indefinitely, saying further environmental analysis was required before the land could be reconsidered for leases."

Rebecca Moss reports for the Santa Fe New Mexican June 6, 2016.