The sky is not falling on the Organ Mountains

The views and opinions expressed do not represent those of the Board of Regents of NMSU.

The “sky is falling” said Chicken Little along with many other environmental and conservation groups about President Trump’s Executive Order on “Unleashing American Energy”, Senator Lee’s proposal to sell Federal Land, the Justice Department’s opinion concerning changing the size or abolishing National Monuments and many other policy changes since January 2025.  It is foolish of me to try and predict what will happen with these cries of despair and anguish, but I will try and put another perspective into the discussion for consideration.

One of the scare tactics that the Non-Government Organizations (NGO) like to use for fund raising is the fear that the federal lands near where you live will be exploited.  In New Mexico, that image is water and air pollution, large open pit copper mines, drilling rigs and major land tracs sold to rich outsiders for homes.  

I reviewed the Draft of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Tri County Resource Management Plan (RMP) that is out for public review. There are 9.4 million acres studied in the land use plan. It includes sections for oil and gas discovery, minerals, and land recommended for disposal either by sale or trade.  

The RMP’s preferred alternative B has designated a total of 38,273 acres for disposal in Sierra, Otero and Doña Ana counties. This does not mean that they will be sold; however, they do not meet the goals and objectives of land management for BLM. Many of these lands have been identified since the beginning of the RMP process in 2005 and only 759.18 acres have been sold. Some of the lands were identified as early as 1982 for disposal.

The concern that the Organ Mountain-Desert Peaks National Monument’s (OMDPNM) size would be reduced for oil and gas development is very small. The RPM reports “As of 2017, no significant new accumulations of hydrocarbon have been discovered within the planning area and no major oil and gas activity is expected in the time frame of 2015-2035, there are no active gas wells in the OMDPNM area and no coal bed potential for mining.”

The Department of Justice’s Opinion has clarified that the President has the power to alter or eliminate a national monument designated under the Antiquities Act. There are currently 136 national monuments, of which 31 were designated by Congress and 89 designated by Presidents. Since 1906, national monuments have diminished in size 19 times by presidents and once by Congress. National Monuments have increased in size 72 times by presidents through the Antiquities Act.  Another 78 national monuments were reincorporated into other parks or otherwise lost the national monument status. The ability of the president to change the size of national monuments is not a new phenomenon.

The threat of large-scale disposal or sale the federal lands or eliminating the ORMDPNM in my estimation is just a lot of hyperbole and the sky is not falling.

Jerry G. Schickedanz is a Dean Emeritus, Linebery Policy Center, at New Mexico State University.