WASHINGTON — House Republicans want to give the U.S. Border Patrol unprecedented authority to ignore 36 environmental laws on federal land in a 100-mile zone along the Canadian and Mexican borders.
If the legislation is approved, the Border Patrol would not have to comply with the Endangered Species Act, the Clean Air Act, the Safe Drinking Water Act, the Solid Waste Disposal Act and 32 other federal laws in such popular places as Olympic National Park, Glacier Park, the Great Lakes and the Boundary Waters Wilderness Area.
Under the GOP plan, the Border Patrol would have free rein to do such things as build roads, offices and fences, install surveillance gear and sensors, and use aircraft and vehicles to patrol in all national parks, forests and federal land in the zone.
The House Natural Resources Committee passed the plan on a 26-17 party-line vote this month. A vote by the full House is expected soon, and similar legislation has been introduced in the Senate.
