Navajo leaders seek hearing on oil and gas drilling dispute

Top officials with the largest Native American tribe in the United States are renewing a request for congressional leaders to hold a field hearing before deciding on federal legislation aimed at limiting oil and gas development around Chaco Culture National Historical Park.

The Navajo Nation has struggled for years with high poverty rates and joblessness. The tribe's legislative leaders say individual Navajo allottees stand to lose an important source of income if a larger buffer is created around the park. Other tribes and environmentalists have been pushing to stop oil and gas development in the area, saying sites beyond Chaco's boundaries need protection.