As part of a Native American tribal summit, US President Joe Biden declared a step towards restricting oil and gas production outside the limits of the Chaco Culture National Historical Park.
Biden was accompanied by US Attorney General Merrick Garland, Interior Secretary Deb Haaland and other Cabinet members as he signed a ‘long overdue’ executive order aimed at strengthening public safety and justice for Native Americans.
The Native American tribal summit, which is being hosted virtually due to the pandemic by the President, is anticipated to draw representatives from 570 tribes.
As part of a broader drive to conserve tribal lands, the Democratic president, who returned from the COP26 UN climate conference, said that he would ‘take measures to protect the greater Chaco landscape from future oil and gas’ leasing. More than 50 Native Americans serving in prominent capacities in his administration agreed to his opinion and pledged to join Biden in his initiative.
Biden went on to say that a record $13 billion would be allocated for tribal infrastructure which will be included in the bill of $1 trillion infrastructure, that he hopes to sign later on Monday. He claimed that tribal infrastructure had been chronically underfunded for decades.
A separate $1.75 trillion social spending measure, which was pending in Congress would also provide further assistance to indigenous communities, including financial measures to tackle climate change, Biden announced. After the ceremony, he told reporters that he was still optimistic that the bill would pass.
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