New Mexico lawmakers monitor federal public lands

New Mexico state lawmakers are closely monitoring federal actions concerning public lands, even after a provision authorizing the sale of thousands of acres was removed from a recent Republican tax and spend bill in the U.S. House of Representatives, according to reporting by Source New Mexico. On Monday, members of the interim legislative Indian Affairs Committee expressed concerns that potential federal land sales could threaten tribal sovereignty and economic development in New Mexico, home to 23 Indigenous nations.

Rep. Patricia Roybal Caballero, an Albuquerque Democrat and enrolled member of the Piro Manso Tiwa Tribe, said she anticipates that federal land sales may lead to "land grabs" impacting tribal sovereignty. Rep. Charlotte Little requested a report on the impact of proposed federal actions on Chaco Canyon and Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks national monuments and their potential effect on surrounding economic development.