Billy Berler, billy.berler@sierraclub.org
AUSTIN, TX — Federal contractors moved heavy equipment into Big Bend National Park earlier this week and began bulldozing new roads Wednesday, putting into motion the first use of sweeping federal border-construction waiver authority inside a National Park.
In June, the Department of Homeland Security waived dozens of environmental and historic preservation laws to allow border barriers, patrol roads and surveillance infrastructure to be built inside Big Bend, including proposed construction within recommended wilderness areas and critical wildlife habitat. The waiver cast aside protections provided by several laws including the National Park Service Organic Act, the Endangered Species Act and the National Environmental Policy Act.
Similar waivers have previously been used to build border walls through national monuments and other federally protected lands. They had never before been used for border infrastructure inside a National Park.
In response, Jackie Ostfeld, Director of the Sierra Club’s Outdoors for All campaign, released the following statement:
“Trump’s radical use of federal waiver authority is clearing the way for border construction in a National Park for the first time. This sets a dangerous precedent that could leave parks across the country vulnerable to the administration’s destructive political agenda. National Parks were created to protect landscapes like Big Bend from exactly this kind of harm, and the Sierra Club will continue fighting to defend that core conservation mission.”
In response Dave Cortez, director of the Sierra Club Lone Star Chapter, released the following statement: “When you see the photos and videos of bulldozers in Big Bend, of masked federal contractors moving to clear land with the majestic cliffs of the sacred Santa Elena Canyon behind them, and families of wildlife running away from construction areas, ask yourself: What can I do? What can I do to challenge the unnecessary, purely political, profit-driven destruction of Big Bend National Park? Members of Congress across the country have begun to speak out against this multi-billion dollar boondoggle, but it is not enough. We need everyone who cares about this sacred place to tell a friend what is happening in Big Bend, tell their family, and mobilize calls and emails into every congressperson’s office. The people of West Texas are not standing down, and they need our support more than ever.”
Contractors were filmed bulldozing new ground within the park, after a bulldozer and other construction equipment were seen near Cottonwood Campground. The work began days after 12 members of Congress requested a delay to a proposed 24-foot-wide patrol road across Mariscal Mountain, and more than 100 local businesses in the remote area urged a stop to the construction. The lawmakers warned that excavation or blasting could harm Mariscal Canyon’s wilderness and wildlife habitat, the Rio Grande and neighboring areas in Mexico.
Across the broader Big Bend region, the administration is also pursuing border construction near Presidio’s only flood-control levee. Local officials have warned that altering the levee without a completed safety review could increase flooding risks for residents, homes and businesses.
For more information, visit nobigbendwall.org and https://keepbigbendwild.org.
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with millions of members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.