Groups oppose waiving of environmental laws to resume border wall construction

By Ron Dungan
Published: Tuesday, October 17, 2023 - 5:05am

Border wall construction has resumed in Texas under the Biden administration after Congress refused to rescind funding for the project.

Now more than 100 groups have signed a petition asking the government to follow environmental laws on the border.

The government has tossed out environmental regulations to help fast-track border security projects since the Bush administration.

Conservationists say that wall construction does little to stop human traffic but disrupts wildlife migration corridors and damages public and tribal lands.

The Government Accountability Office recently issued a report that echoed many of these complaints.

The groups say that although the government may be forced to resume construction under the law, no statute requires it to waive environmental review.

PoliticsEnvironment Southwest Border