Norman D. Dicks: “I want to commend the gentleman from North Carolina for his work during the years when he was chairman of this…”

“I want to commend the gentleman from North Carolina for his work during the years when he was chairman of this committee, and also this year on this bill and this provision. I have been down to the border and have seen these very large fences that we have created there which do have an adverse effect on some of the species in that area which in the past would go back and forth from Texas or Arizona into Mexico. The Department of the Interior could have raised objections to this project and required detailed environmental assessments, and possibly could have brought actions under the Endangered Species Act. But because this was worked out between the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of the Interior, that was avoided so that we could go ahead and build the fences in a very timely way. So I think that taking this amendment out is a mistake. It is not considerate of the environment, which we should be trying to protect. And there are many problems down on the border because of these fences. I urge that we defeat the Lummis amendment and go along with what the committee has artfully worked out. It's a good compromise, and should remain in the bill. I yield back the balance of my time.”