Quantcast
Channel: Bishop's Counsel » Department of Interior
Viewing all articles
Browse latest Browse all 7

Bishop Hails Passage of Amendment to End Department of Interior Extortion of Border Patrol

0
0

WASHINGTON–  Today, a bipartisan majority in the House of Representatives voted in favor of an amendment introduced by Congresswoman Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) that would strike language in the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act for 2012 (section 547) that authorizes environmental mitigation payments by the Border Patrol to the Department of Interior (DOI).  Many believe these funds are used as leverage by public land managers in exchange for simply granting U.S. Border Patrol agents access to federal lands.

For a number of years, the Border Patrol has been required to transfer funds to the DOI for “mitigation” efforts on public lands along the border.  In theory, these mitigation funds are to be used to offset apparent environmental damage by the Border Patrol in the course of doing its job.  There is evidence, however, that the U.S. Border Patrol is being coerced by the Department of Interior (DOI) into paying these funds in exchange for access to federal lands necessary for them to both deter and apprehend criminal smugglers and traffickers.

“I appreciate Congresswoman Lummis and Congressman Aderholt for their efforts to ensure that we try to end this Interior slush fund paid for by the Border Patrol.  The Border Patrol is not causing severe environmental damage – but the drug cartels and criminal elements that come across the border are,” said Congressman Bishop.  “It is offensive to me to say that the Border Patrol has to pay mitigation fees for problems they’re not causing.  The best way to protect the environment is to allow the Border Patrol to have the access they need to stop the flow of criminal activity that is taking a harmful toll on the wildlife and ecology of these natural areas.  Members of the minority party keep saying that we’re not spending enough on homeland security.  If I accept that premise, then everything we spend on homeland security should be for security – not for some public land slush fund used to buy even more land, especially when the federal government already owns one out of every three acres in America.

Currently, U.S. Border Patrol agents are restricted from accessing and maintaining routine patrols on millions of acres of federal land located along the southern U.S. / Mexico border.  As a result, these areas are some of the most coveted trafficking routes used by drug and human smugglers looking to gain access into the United States.  Many public land areas on the U.S. side of the border are overrun with criminal activity and violence and are subsequently too dangerous for public land managers and the general public to enter[photo]. Congressman Bishop introduced legislation, H.R. 1505, that would restrict federal environmental policies and public land managers from limiting the Border Patrol’s access to the entire southern U.S./ Mexico border.

“Our Border Patrol agents should not be held hostage by these funds and should be granted full access to the entire southern border region to ensure that it’s not just private and state lands that are free of criminal activity, but our federal lands as well,” Bishop added“This amendment is one of the essential components of our united effort to gain full operational control of the southern U.S. border, including  our federal border lands.”

Additionally, the amendment would strike language in the bill that allows these funds to be used by the DOI to purchase even more land.  Additional federal land acquisition only exacerbates the problem by limiting access to even more land and further bloating the federal estate – at a time when the government cannot even afford to provide the basic care and maintenance needed to existing national parks and other lands.

Share


Viewing all articles
Browse latest Browse all 7

Latest Images

Trending Articles





Latest Images