Trump Plan to Allow Drilling Near New Mexico World Heritage Site Alarms UNESCO

Trump Plan to Allow Drilling Near New Mexico World Heritage Site Alarms UNESCO

A reported Trump administration plan to eliminate a drilling-free buffer zone around a UNESCO World Heritage site in New Mexico has set off alarm bells among conservationists, Indigenous groups and the United Nations cultural agency.

The policy change, which has not yet been finalised, would scrap longstanding protections that prohibited oil and gas leasing within a designated zone encircling the internationally recognized site. Officials say the proposal is part of the administration’s broader push to expand domestic energy production on federal lands, but opponents warn it could permanently scar a landscape of profound cultural and historical importance.

UNESCO scrutiny raises international pressure

The UNESCO World Heritage Centre is now scrutinizing the move, a development that could put the United States under diplomatic pressure over its treaty obligations. When a World Heritage property faces a major threat, the World Heritage Committee can issue formal requests for action and, in extreme cases, place the site on the List of World Heritage in Danger. Such a step would be an embarrassment for Washington, which has already faced criticism for past environmental rollbacks affecting protected areas.

The New Mexico site, listed for its outstanding cultural value, sits atop a region rich in oil and gas reserves. The buffer zone was originally established to ensure that industrial activity – including drilling rigs, flaring and road construction – did not visually or physically intrude on the protected area. Scrapping that zone could allow lease sales within a few miles of the heritage boundary, according to documents reviewed by The Guardian.

Conservation and tribal voices mobilize

Preservation advocates say the change would fundamentally alter the balance between energy development and heritage protection that has governed the area for years.

“This buffer was the one thing standing between heavy industry and a place of global significance,” said one conservation leader familiar with the discussions. “Removing it sends a signal that no protected landscape is safe.”

Tribal communities, many of which trace their ancestry directly to the archaeological sites within the World Heritage area, have also voiced deep concern. Several tribal leaders have accused the administration of ignoring their government-to-government consultation obligations. Legal challenges are already being explored by a coalition of environmental groups, who argue the action violates federal land management laws and the National Historic Preservation Act.

Federal authority and what comes next

The proposal falls under the purview of the Interior Department, primarily through the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, which oversees the mineral rights on surrounding public land. According to the agency, no final decision has been made and a formal environmental analysis is still under review. However, internal planning documents indicate the buffer zone removal is being fast-tracked to align with a wider executive order aimed at “achieving energy dominance.”

If enacted, the reversal could clear the way for oil and gas lease sales as early as next spring. Developers would then need further permits, but the removal of the no-drilling zone would remove a key obstacle. Observers note that the type of drilling most likely to occur – horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing – could extend wells laterally even if the surface pad sits outside the heritage boundary, further threatening the site’s integrity.

UNESCO is expected to raise the matter during its next World Heritage Committee session. The United States, which rejoined UNESCO only in 2023 after a five-year absence, may find itself defending its stewardship of the site on the world stage.

In the meantime, public comment periods are likely to draw thousands of objections, and a legal battle appears inevitable. As one tribal council member put it, “This place belongs to all of humanity. We will not let it become a fossil fuel sacrifice zone.”