The Trump administration has responded to a lawsuit over its plan for a border wall in the Big Bend region of West Texas by waiving a federal law at the center of the case. The lawsuit, filed by the Presidio Municipal Development District, claims that the wall will harm the entity’s property and initiatives.
Background
The lawsuit centers on the Rivers and Harbors Act of 1899, which requires engineering approval from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers when significant alterations are planned for a levee system. The Presidio Municipal Development District argues that interagency coordination hasn’t happened, despite wall construction moving forward at a rapid pace.
The Trump administration had previously waived several environmental, cultural resource protection, and contracting laws to expedite construction of the border wall in the Big Bend region. However, it didn’t initially include the Rivers and Harbors Act in its waiver. On July 2, the agency updated its waiver notice to add the law.
Response to the Lawsuit
In response to the lawsuit, the Trump administration said that plans for the border wall in Presidio are not yet finalized, despite the original construction timeline beginning as early as August. The administration also said that the U.S. Customs and Border Protection is in regular contact with the Army Corps and the International Boundary and Water Commission and intends to coordinate with them further when a wall design is in hand.
The administration is asking that if an injunction halting border wall construction is granted, it be limited to just the levee’s expanse — 12.75 miles — instead of the entire 175-mile Big Bend area wall project.
Original reporting: Texarkana Gazette — read the source article.
