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Congressman Raúl Grijalva recently introduced H.R. 2593 which will provide security while protecting borderland wildlife, habitat and local communities.

The U.S. border along Mexico includes national parks, forests, monuments, wildlife refuges, wilderness areas, and many more protected and environmentally sensitive lands. Among these lands are Organ Pipe National Monument, Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge, Coronado National Forest, Big Bend National Park in Texas, and the Tijuana River National Estuarine Research Reserve near San Diego. The border region is home to many threatened and endangered species. Many have already been negatively impacted by border security activities. The Border Patrol estimates that 39 protected or proposed species have been impacted in Arizona alone.

Last year, Congress passed the Secure Fence Act (H.R. 6061). This act calls for a double-layer, 15- foot-high wall to be constructed along much of the U.S.-Mexico border. The wall would stretch from the San Diego area to Brownsville, Texas. The negative impacts and cost of such a wall are staggering. The construction of this wall would impact wildlife, clean air, clean water, as well as human health and safety.

All of these impacts are compounded by the REAL ID Act, which was passed in 2005. Specifically, Section 102 in REAL ID allows the Secretary of Homeland Security to waive all local, state, and federal environmental-protection laws during the construction of security infrastructure along the border. REAL ID has been used to waive compliance with laws in San Diego and in Arizona along the Barry Goldwater Military Range. The walls being constructed in these two areas will have negative impacts on the internationally recognized Tijuana Estuary and will also impact the Sonoran pronghorn found on the Barry Goldwater Range and Cabeza Prieta Wildlife Refuge in southern Arizona.

Congressman Grijalva’s H.R. 2593, the Borderlands Conservation and Security Act, takes a common-sense approach to border policy and will better protect the sensitive desert border environment. The bill would:

• Repeal Section 102 of REAL ID to require compliance with federal, state, and local laws meant to protect clean air, clean water, wildlife, culture, health, safety, and quality of life for people in border communities.
• Provide experts at the Department of Homeland Security with the ability to decide whether walls, vehicle barriers, or virtual fences would be most appropriate.
• Give land management agencies and local, state, and tribal officials a voice in border infrastructure decision-making.
• Fund initiatives that help mitigate damage to Borderland wildlife and resources.

Support the protection of the Borderlands NOW!

Contact you Washington DC Representatives today and ask them to co-sponsor HR 2593, The Borderlands Conservation and Security Act

Link to Borderlands Conservation and Security Act flyer (hyperlink to PDF titled: “HR 2593 Support”)

Check current co-sponsors and the status of bill by going to http://thomas.loc.gov/
and searching by the bill number, “HR 2593”.

Read about the Bill on Congressman Grijalva’s web site.

Sierra Club, Grand Canyon Chapter, 202 E. McDowell Rd, Suite 277, Phoenix, AZ 85004, (602) 253-8633