The 670-mile-long border wall blocks wildlife migration.

The U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency could waive all laws protecting wildlife and the environment on federal public lands, according to a bill approved today by the U.S. House Committee on Natural Resources over the objections of 100 conservation, human rights and faith-based organizations.

The following is a statement from Robert Dewey, Defenders of Wildlife’s vice president for government relations:

“The bill is an extreme overreach of federal powers that jeopardizes our nation’s wildlife and wild places for no good reason. Even as amended, the bill hands over control of our public lands to the Border Patrol and provides no safeguards for harm to the environment, to endangered species, or to treasured public conservation lands like national parks or wildlife refuges. This is a demonstration of how far outside the mainstream some in this Congress are willing to go.”

Background

The U.S. House Committee on Natural Resources approved a bill (H.R. 1505) that gives U.S. Customs and Border Protection unfettered access to federal public lands within 100 miles of all U.S. borders and allows them to ignore laws protecting wildlife, water, air quality and the environment.

Defenders of Wildlife was among  the 100 conservation, human rights and faith-based organizations that sent a letter to Congress, raising concerns that this bill is “unnecessary and an extreme overreach of federal power.”

The bill could impact the public’s use of federal lands. Customs and Border Patrol’s power to build roads and structures and access even wilderness areas could impact hiking, backpacking, birding, fishing, hunting and even activities like grazing.

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