Tell Congress: Don't Trash the Environment for 'Border Security'
The U.S. Congress is considering a new law that would dramatically ramp up militarization of the southern border in the name of 'border security' — including some of the most sensitive and important wildlife habitat in the nation.
H.R. 399 would permanently exempt border-security activities from dozens of important environmental laws within 100 miles of the Mexican border, including the Endangered Species Act, Wilderness Act and National Environmental Policy Act, putting rare wildlife like ocelots, Sonoran pronghorns and America's only known jaguar at risk.
The bill would authorize billions of dollars in spending on surveillance technology, increases in Border Patrol staff and construction and maintenance of hundreds of miles of walls and roads. The result will be bad for wildlife and bad for the civil rights of people living within 100 miles of the border.
Take action today — send your representatives and senators a message urging them to reject H.R. 399 and any other border-security bill harmful to the environment.
Dear [Decision maker],
I'm writing to urge you to reject H.R. 399. This bill would dramatically increase the militarization of the southern border in the name of 'border security' and would exempt many destructive activities related to 'border security' from important environmental laws designed to protect wilderness and rare and endangered wildlife.
H.R. 399 would permanently exempt destructive activities from the Endangered Species Act, Wilderness Act and National Environmental Policy Act and put vulnerable wildlife like ocelots, Sonoran pronghorns and the only known jaguar in the United States at risk.
Additionally, with a pricetag of $10 billion to increase surveillance and militarization of a region already dotted with military and security outposts, H.R. 399 significantly threatens the civil rights of anyone living within 100 miles of the U.S./Mexico border.
[Your comments here]
Reject this expensive, dangerous boondoggle once and for all: Vote against H.R. 399.
Sincerely,
[Your name]
