March 11, 2005

"Border plan risks estuary"

The OC Register discusses the border fence near Tijuana that Reps. James Sensenbrenner, R-Wis., and Duncan Hunter, R-Alpine want to finally complete: "Border plan risks estuary":

[...Greg Abbott, "an ecologist with the California Department of Parks and Recreation", leads the OC Register on a tour, pointing out the problems with the plan...]
Backed by two House Republicans, the project includes a controversial plan to remove hundreds of tons of soil from the top of nearby mesas and fill in a canyon appropriately named Smugglers Gulch.

Ecologists worry that erosion will carry the soil from the enormous mound of earth in the canyon into the estuary and disrupt the delicate balance that supports the wildlife.

The California Coastal Commission, which regulates coastal land and water use, is one of numerous agencies and interest groups fighting the proposed project and the legislation to make it possible...

"This is as much earth as would be used to build Hoover Dam," said Carl Zichella, western regional staff director for the Sierra Club, trying to explain how enormous a volume of soil would be moved.

Zichella said that what is being planned in the name of national security is unnecessary to protect the border...

The possibility that Abbott was sent out by his supervisors to throw cold water on the plan seems highly likely. Maybe there are alternatives that would work, however based on the Sierra Club being in opposition I'd imagine their version of a border fence might include a door. The post "Who's behind the smears?" described how the Sierra Club got millions of dollars from a pro-open borders philanthropist, and "DHS to build fences anywhere at any time, even committing mass murder to do so?" described the last loony leftie attempt at fear-mongering on this issue.

Posted to Immigration2005a at March 11, 2005 09:29 AM

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