Secretary Haaland protects sacred, sensitive lands in New Mexico | Bureau of Land Management

During a community event in Sandoval County today, Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland signed Public Land Order 7940 protecting more than 4,200 acres of Bureau of Land Management-managed public lands in the Placitas area.

The final mineral withdrawal protects, preserves, and promotes the scenic integrity, cultural importance, recreational values and wildlife habitat connectivity of the lands and the surrounding area. The lands will be closed to new mining claims, mineral sales, and oil and gas leases for the next 50 years, subject to valid existing rights.