May 6, 2007 5:36 pm US/Central
Border Fence To Be Built On Wildlife Refuges
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BROWNSVILLE, Texas (AP) ―
Wildlife refuges along the Rio Grande Valley are expected to be among the first spots where construction of a border fence would begin, a newspaper reports.
The U.S. Border Patrol informed officials with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on Friday that refuges in Starr, Hidalgo and Cameron counties are on the fast track for the fence because they are federally-owned lands, according an e-mail from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department to conservationists.
The project includes 82 miles of fencing with a road suitable for driving up to 50 miles per hour, according to the e-mail shown to The Brownsville Herald.
The Texas Parks and Wildlife official who wrote the e-mail confirmed its validity, but wouldn't comment. The Fish and Wildlife Service was given a matter of days to respond.
President Bush called for the fence during his national address on immigration reform and Congress approved it. Of the $1.2 billion Congress approved, at least $400 million has been released.
Earlier this year, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff angered environmentalists when he waived environmental rules to allow for building the border fence.
Russ Knocke, a spokesman for Homeland Security, said Sunday that he could not verify the e-mail. He added that while they are determined to move forward quickly with developing the fence, a final decision has not yet been made about the construction. He says they are continuing to discuss the fencing construction with local, state and federal officials.
Studies to determine the impact of the fence on wildlife haven't been done, but environmental groups are expecting problems.
Rare and endangered species are found in the Rio Grande Valley corridor, which includes the Sabal Palm Audubon Center and Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge.
"There is no place you could put a fence down here and not have a significant impact on the environment. We should all be opposed to this, whether you're an environmentalist or not," Karen Chapman, a wildlife analyst with Environmental Defense.
(© 2007 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
