By KERA 90.1
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/kera/local-kera-700238.mp3
Dallas, TX – Texas Congressman Solomon Ortiz and 13 other Democrats in the US House are joining in a lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security. They're challenging Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff's decision to bypass more than 30 environmental protection laws, so 700 mile fence along our Mexican can be built more quickly.
Ortiz is a member of the House Natural Resources Committee which held a hearing on the issue in Brownsville yesterday. He says ignoring environmental protections will ruin South Texas's growing eco-tourism industry.
Ortiz: "It is going to destroy our ecological system that is in place. It is going to disturb some of the wildlife habitat, it is going to disturb some of the plants. And what is going to happen to our water rights when we put the fence on this side of the river. Will farmers continue to be able to have access to the water or are we giving away our water rights. There are a lot of things that don't make sense."
Work on the fence is scheduled to being this summer. Supporters say the fence is needed to slow the flow of illegal immigration and potential terrorists.