Federal authorities announce plan to safeguard sacred tribal lands in New Mexico’s Sandoval County

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — In an effort to safeguard sacred tribal lands, federal authorities say there is a plan to protect more than 4,000 acres within the Placitas area in New Mexico’s Sandoval County. The U.S. Department of the Interior and federal Bureau of Land Management say a proposed mineral withdrawal would bar new mining claims and oil and gas development in the area for 50 years, subject to valid and existing rights. The Pueblos of San Felipe and Santa Ana have long sought protections for the Placitas area, which they consider ancestral and sacred lands. Authorities say the federal proposal would help protect, preserve and promote the scenic integrity, cultural importance, recreational values and wildlife habitat connectivity within the Placitas area near Albuquerque.