Border Fence 1, Environmental Law 0

[PetrusMonsFormicarum]

According to Nosferatu himself, the border fence being constructed along the US border with Mexico is far more important, it seems, than already fragile ecosystems that stand in its way. And while the hypocrisy continues to pile up, it is worth noting that this fence is being constructed with Canadian timber and Mexican labor!

This from the New York Times:

Michael Chertoff, the homeland security secretary, waived several environmental laws yesterday to continue building a border fence through a national conservation area in Arizona, bypassing a federal court ruling that had suspended the fence construction.

Citing "unacceptable risks to our nation's security" if the fence along the border with Mexico was further delayed, Mr. Chertoff invoked waiver authority granted him under a 2005 bill that mandated construction of the fence.

He ordered work to continue on 6.9 miles of fence along the border through the San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area in Cochise County in southeastern Arizona.

In a ruling on Oct. 10, Judge Ellen Segal Huvelle of the federal court for the District of Columbia held up construction of the fence, finding that the government had failed to carry out the required environmental assessment. The decision came in a suit brought by the Sierra Club and Defenders of Wildlife.

In a statement yesterday, the Department of Homeland Security said it "disagrees with the court's ruling" and was confident of eventually winning the case. It noted that two federal land management agencies had authorized the department to proceed with the fence.

In addition, department officials said that some 19,000 illegal immigrants were detained passing through the conservation area in the 2007 fiscal year and that the immigrants' trash, human waste and illegal roads had caused more damage to plant and animal life than the fence would.

Sean Sullivan, a spokesman for the Sierra Club in Arizona, said that "we can secure our borders while we protect our public lands" and that "bulldozing" the conservation area was not necessary to manage the border.

The plaintiffs described the area near the San Pedro River as "one of America's most unique and biologically diverse areas."

[ceile]

1. Can you post a link?

I can't understand how he "waived several environmental laws". A judge stopped construction, but they're ignoring the ruling? :wtf:

[UTUSN]

2. Here's a link. 1st one is to the Google search results.

*******QUOTE*******

http://www.google.com/search?q=Chertoff+Huvelle&sourceid=ie7&rls=com.microsoft:en-US&ie=utf8&oe=utf8

http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/1011borderfence.html

.... The judge ruled Wednesday that the federal government rushed its environmental study, written in three weeks, and did not take a comprehensive look at how that fencing might effect other parts of the border.

Defenders of Wildlife and the Sierra Club petitioned for the delay. ....

Chertoff said he has used his waiver authority previously for border fencing and "I certainly reserve the right to use it again." ....

********UNQUOTE*******



http://notexasborderwall.com/