Trump plan to allow drilling near US world heritage site sparks alarm

Administration’s plan to scrap drilling-free buffer zone around New Mexico site prompts scrutiny from Unesco The Trump administration’s push to expand oil and gas extraction across the US is set to bring drilling near cherished natural and cultural sites, raising alarm among conservationists and prompting questions from the UN’s heritage body.

Unesco said it has received information on the administration’s plan to scrap a drilling-free buffer zone around the Chaco Culture national historical park in New Mexico, a world heritage site and one of the most important cultural areas in the US.

A Unesco spokesperson said it has procedures regarding “potential threats” to a world heritage property and was awaiting a response from the federal government as to its impact.

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