Brian Willis, brian.willis@sierraclub.org
WASHINGTON, DC — The Trump administration asked the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday to lift a federal court order blocking border construction across the Big Bend region, including Big Bend National Park and Big Bend Ranch State Park. The request seeks to restart construction while a lawsuit challenging the administration’s use of sweeping legal waivers proceeds.
Sierra Club, its Lone Star Chapter, and the National Parks Conservation Association filed an amicus brief in August supporting the lawsuit to stop construction in and around Big Bend National Park. The organizations are represented by Earthjustice.
“If the Trump administration thinks it can resume construction in Big Bend without a fight, it is sorely mistaken,” said Dave Cortez, director of Sierra Club’s Lone Star Chapter. “Big Bend’s desert and river country are a defining part of Texas’s natural heritage. The administration is pursuing an unnecessary, destructive project that Texans don’t want. The only people that will benefit are the billionaires making money off of Trump’s corruption. This landscape is too important to let another round of bulldozing determine what is left for wildlife, and for the people who come after us.”
Federal contractors began bulldozing inside Big Bend National Park in August, damaging sensitive habitat near Santa Elena Canyon and Mariscal Canyon and disrupting recreational access. Plans inside the park include patrol roads and vehicle barriers. A federal judge halted construction across the Big Bend Sector on October 2.
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.