A bill intended to help secure our nation’s borders is well intentioned, but has the potential to mar two of the greatest jewels of our state — Voyageurs National Park and the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.
The National Security and Federal Lands Protection Act, being heard in a U.S. House committee, is guided by a desire to protect our nation’s borders by expanding the authority of the U.S. Department to reach 100 miles into our nation. The bill, if signed into law, would allow for the construction of facilities, roads and fences to keep people from entering our country illegally.
The bill would allow these activities to occur without first going through local permitting processes and would waive compliance with 36 environmental laws.
Clearly, this gives one federal agency too much power. It makes no sense to allow an agency to override local processes and waiving laws that other agencies, individuals and businesses must abide by to ensure that an activity is properly conducted.
The author of the bill, U.S. Rep. Rob Bishop, R-Utah, says the bill is needed because local laws and federal oversight have allowed some border areas to become overrun with criminal activity.
That may be true elsewhere, but not here, in Borderland.
Instead, we believe that relationships should be encouraged and built between local governments and the land managers of these iconic places, like Voyageurs.
Those relationships are working well in Borderland, according to Mike Ward, VNP superintendent. Ward says that these relationships allow field officers in places like VNP to assist the Border Patrol mission, while at the same time preserving and protecting the resources and values that make up places like Voyageurs.
It’s been reported that Lynn Scarlett, a former deputy Interior secretary under President George W. Bush, has said that allowing one federal agency the authority to ignore federal agencies and local laws is dangerous. And she says the bill could actually damage national security.
We must agree with Scarlett. This is a bold proposal that has the potential to do damage to the very places we have set aside because of their local and national value. This bill either needs strong revision or should be thrown out altogether.
