The Chihuahuan Desert extends southward from New Mexico, Texas and Arizona into the Mexican Plateau. It covers an area of 250,000 square miles and is considered to be among the most biologically rich and diverse desert eco-regions in the world. The area is home to Pronghorn Antelope, migratory songbirds and independent cattle ranches that have been in operation for generations. Despite local outrage and a 2005 law suit filed by New Mexico's governor against the Bush administration, the Bureau of Land Management has made the decision to nearly double the acreage available for oil and gas development on Otero Mesa. If it is turned into a full-scale oil and gas field, the Wilderness and much of the wildlife that live there will be threatened by groundwater pollution. Current drilling requires the use of a number of chemical agents (many of which are suspected carcinogens) that are used the entire length of a drilling process.