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For Immediate Release
Disastrous Bill Will Exempt Thousands of Acres of Wilderness From Environmental Laws
Washington, DC - The so-called
"Real ID" Act, expected to pass the House tomorrow, will expose thousands of
acres of public land, including national parks, forests, wildlife refuges and
wilderness areas along the U.S. border to extreme environmental damage,
according to Defenders of Wildlife.
"By exempting the Department of
Homeland Security from environmental laws within public lands along the Mexican
and Canadian borders, some of our nation's most valuable wilderness areas are
now prone to a new level of destruction as new construction projects begin,"
stated Rodger Schlickeisen, President of Defenders of Wildlife. "Certainly we do
not need to sacrifice some of our nation's most cherished wilderness areas to
protect our borders."
The "Real ID" Act will include sweeping language
allowing the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security to exempt the
agency from all federal, state and local environmental laws when constructing
walls, fences, roads and other barriers along U.S. borders. Nearly 7,500 miles
of land along the U.S. International border is affected by this bill. It will
also eliminate vital protections under the Endangered Species Act, National
Forest Management Act and other laws intended to protect wildlife, laws that
every other federal agency must obey.
"Ensuring our national
security is essential, but allowing exemptions from all environmental laws along
our international borders is extreme and unnecessary," stated Schlickeisen.
"Already our federal laws are flexible enough to ensure that our wildlife and
natural resources are protected in our efforts to improve national security.
This bill has the potential to cause irrevocable harm by altering the existing
balance of both protecting our borders along with our wildlife and wild
lands."
The bill is expected to be agreed to now that the Senate has
yielded to the House and agreed to include the so-called "Real ID" Act as a
legislative rider to the Supplemental Appropriations bill. The Senate had passed
its version the Supplemental Bill without the Real ID Act.
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Defenders of Wildlife Defenders of Wildlife is one of the nation's most progressive advocates for wildlife and habitat, and was named "Best Wildlife Charity" by Readers Digest in 2005. With nearly 1 million members, supporters and electronic advocates, Defenders is an effective voice for wildlife and habitat.
