Source: United States Senator for New Mexico Martin Heinrich
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) participated in a Senate Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies hearing on the Fiscal Year (FY) 2022 budget request for the U.S. Department of Interior.
VIDEO: Heinrich Pushes Forward On Protections For Tribal Objects Of Patrimony, Chaco Canyon [HD DOWNLOAD HERE]
During the hearing, Senator Heinrich pressed for stronger enforcement of laws against the trafficking of Tribal cultural patrimony and requested that the “department work to encourage the voluntary return of sacred objects, both here and overseas.”
Senator Heinrich along with U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) introduced the bipartisan Safeguard Tribal Objects of Patrimony (STOP) Act, legislation to prohibit the exporting of sacred Native American items and increase penalties for stealing and illegal trafficking. In May, the STOP Act was favorably reported from the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs. In the 116th Congress, Senators Heinrich and Murkowski successfully passed the STOP Act out of the Senate by unanimous consent.
Senator Heinrich also thanked Secretary Haaland for her partnership in protecting the landscape around Chaco Canyon. The president’s budget request continues the current moratorium on new mineral development, but Senator Heinrich expressed that “it’s time we move away from stop-gap measures and one-year pauses.”
Recently, Senator Heinrich sent a letter to Secretary Haaland calling on the Biden administration to withdraw federal minerals within the Chaco Culture Heritage Withdrawal Area from future mineral development, including new oil and gas leasing.
Senator Heinrich intends to reintroduce legislation with his colleagues from the New Mexico delegation to permanently withdraw this area from new federal mineral leases.
During the hearing, Senator Heinrich also reiterated his commitment to confirming Tracey Stone-Manning to lead the Bureau of Land Management. Senator Heinrich has previously pointed out that Stone-Manning’s experience in Tribal issues, land and wildlife conservation, and water settlements offers a return to qualified and competent management of America’s public lands.