The Trump administration is waiving more than 30 environmental rules to accelerate the construction of President Trump’s proposed border wall in New Mexico, forcing environmental groups to consider another round of lawsuits.
The Department of Homeland Security published a notice Monday that said the waiver was necessary to ensure the “expeditious construction of barriers” near the Santa Teresa Land Port of Entry.
“The Secretary of Homeland Security has determined, pursuant to law, that it is necessary to waive certain laws, regulations and other legal requirements in order to ensure the expeditious construction of barriers and roads in the vicinity of the international land border of the United States,” according to a notice published in the Federal Register.
The waiver included rules and requirements under several top federal environmental rules, including the National Environmental Policy Act, the Endangered Species Act, the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, the National Historic Preservation Act, the Clean Air Act, the Archaeological Resources Protection Act, the Safe Drinking Water Act, and the Noise Control Act. – READ MORE
[give_form id=”79809″] [divider][/divider]Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-IL) on Saturday offered to go the U.S.-Mexico border with bricks and mortar to help build the “offensive” and “insulting” border wall in exchange for a permanent Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) fix.
“I’ll take a bucket, take bricks, and start building it myself,” Gutierrez reportedly said. “We will dirty our hands in order for the Dreamers to have a clean future in America.”
He made similar comments on CNN after saying he believed “it would be a monumental waste of taxpayer’s money to build a monument to stupidity.”
“But if that’s what it’s going to take to take 800,000 young men and women and give them a chance to live freely and openly in America, then I’ll roll up my sleeves, and I’ll go down there with bricks and mortar and begin the wall,” he said. “A brick for lives? Okay, let’s do it.” – READ MORE
[give_form id=”79809″] [divider][/divider]Recent assaults by tactical teams on prototypes of President Donald Trump’s proposed wall with Mexico indicate their imposing heights should stop border crossers, a U.S. official with direct knowledge of the rigorous assessment told The Associated Press.
Military special forces based in Florida and U.S. Customs and Border Protection special units spent three weeks trying to breach and scale the eight models in San Diego, using jackhammers, saws, torches and other tools and climbing devices, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the information was not authorized for public release.
A Customs and Border Protection report on the tests identifies strengths and flaws of each design but does not pick an overall winner or rank them, though it does point to see-through steel barriers topped by concrete as the best overall design, the official said.
The report recommends combining elements of each, depending on the terrain. The official likened it to a Lego design, pulling pieces from different prototypes.
Carlos Diaz, a spokesman for Customs and Border Protection, said the agency is still in “the testing phase” and that results are being evaluated. He said combining elements of different prototypes instead of picking a winner is consistent with previous statements by officials. He noted that the agency said in its bidding guidelines that a minimum height of 18 feet (5.4 meters) would be a key characteristic. He said he did not have additional details on test results. – READ MORE
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