On the recordJune 1, 2011
The gentlewoman's amendment strikes language permitting the use of previously appropriated and specifically designated DHS funds for land acquisition along the southwest border for environmental mitigation. {time} 2130 I feel I need to take a moment just to provide a bit of context. Since 2006, our subcommittee, which I chaired from 2007 to 2010, has increased funding for border security by over $2 billion annually. We invested well over a billion for fencing and other tactical infrastructure alone during this period. Now, responding to concerns about possible environmental problems associated with such a massive construction undertaking, much of which has taken place on environmentally sensitive lands, Congress provided modest amounts to mitigate these potential environmental consequences: $50 million in fiscal 2009 and $40 million in fiscal 2010. Some of this mitigation effort involves acquiring land from willing sellers for buffer zones to protect fragile habitats, principally along the Rio Grande Valley in Texas. Since the Department doesn't have the statutory authority to acquire land for the purpose of environmental mitigation, we came to an agreement among Democrats and Republicans last year in the context of negotiations over an omnibus 2011 bill to grant the limited authority to transfer these specific funds to the Department of Interior for land acquisition. Obviously, Interior has the statutory authority to acquire land for this purpose.…
