Before infrastructure projects begin, a federal agency is required to seek input on local and potential impacts of proposed border wall projects in the Rio Grande Valley, according to a UTRGV professor.
โItโs very important,โ said Mark Kaswan, a UTRGV political science associate professor. โOne of the reasons why is because the agency is actually required to respond to the comments and if they fail to respond to the comments effectively, then it provides a basis for a lawsuit against the project. So, if the agency does not fulfill its responsibilities to address community concerns, then the community has a basis for filing a lawsuit to force them to respond. It doesnโt mean you get the response you want but it does give you something of a handle.โ
U.S. Customs and Border Protection published an environmental assessment on June 26 asking the public for feedback on the location and potential impacts of proposed barrier projects, including design and construction.
Proposed construction would be about โ52 miles of border wall system in Starr County, Texas; approximately 24 miles of levee wall system in Hidalgo County; and approximately 19 miles of levee/border wall system in Cameron County,โ according to the environmental assessment.
The comment period was extended from Aug. 26 to Sept. 25.
Comments may be submitted online until then at regulations.gov by searching docket number โUSCBP-2019-0018.โ
Questions can also be emailed to CBP at commentsenv@cbp.dhs.gov; the subject line should reference โFY19 RGV Border Construction Projects.โ
โI think itโs really important for these agencies to know how the community feels about the project,โ Kaswan said. โItโs sort of an indirect way to put pressure on our elected representatives to be able to say, โLook, our communities are opposed to this.โโ
Earlier this year, levee wall construction began in Hidalgo County.
On Aug. 7, CBP, in partnership with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, awarded a contract to build about 11 miles of new levee wall system in three noncontiguous segments located within the Valley.
โThe project area begins at the intersection of Conway Road and the U.S. International Boundary and Water Commission (IBWC) levee in Mission, Texas and extends eastward to approximately one quarter mile west of Stewart Road and the IBWC levee south of San Juan, Texas,โ a CBP news release states.
CBP awarded Southwest Valley Constructors Co. an $80.9 million contract for the project, with the total contract value, including options, being $304.6 million.
The levee wall system will be similar to the border fence built in 2008, but the system will also include all-weather roads, lighting, enforcement cameras, and other related technology to create a complete enforcement zone.
Border wall construction will not take place at the Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge, La Lomita Historical Park, Bentsen-Rio Grande Valley State Park, within or east of the Vista del Mar Ranch tract of the Lower Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuge or the National Butterfly Center in Mission, according to the news release.
Click here to view, $3.6B diverted for wall.
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