The Department of Homeland Security announced last week it would waive more than 30 environmental laws to ensure construction of the U.S.-Mexico border fence would continue on schedule.
The waivers will bypass the requirement for environmental impact reports for construction of the Texas-Mexico border fence, which House representatives are protesting.
Defenders of Wildlife, a nonprofit dedicated to preserving wildlife, and Sierra Club, an environmental organization, have joined to petition the government for the blanket waiver, which they call “an extreme abuse of power.”
Defenders of Wildlife stated in a press release the Bush administration had gone too far by allowing the Real ID Act to waive environmental protection laws set prior to the passage of the act. According to an Associated Press story, DHS would have been required to release an environmental impact report on the construction of the border fence. So far, only a draft environmental impact statement had been created, according to the story.
Reps. Silvestre Reyes and Sheila Jackson Lee, D-TX, have joined in submitting a notice of intent to file amicus curiae brief in the Defenders of Wildlife case against DHS. Reyes, who serves as the chairman of the Security Intelligence Committee, called the DHS waiver “disappointing at best.”
“As a former Border Patrol Sector Chief and current Chair of the House Intelligence Committee, I know the importance of securing our borders and fully support providing our agents with strong tools to carry out their jobs,” he stated in a press release. “I do not, however, support DHS’s continued disregard for border communities. This recent attempt to bypass more than 30 laws and regulations to pursue an already ill-advised idea should not move forward.”
Michael Chertoff, Homeland Security secretary, released a statement April 1 saying criminal activity does not wait for litigation and “endless debate” to finish.
“We’re serious about delivering (security), and these waivers will enable important security projects to keep moving forward,” he said. “At the same time, we value the need for public input on any potential impact of our border infrastructure plans on the environment — and we will continue to solicit it.”
Blogs such as No Wall-Big Bend have begun a grassroots effort with a petition and open letter asking people to write to their representative in Congress so they can push for environmental impact studies to be finalized. Heads of various organizations, musicians, journalists and Texas government officials are a sampling of those who have signed the petition.