8/6/2019

BORDER/ENVIRONMENT/MEXICO/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/WALL: “Environmentalists have asked a judge to stop a plan to replace existing vehicle barriers along the U.S.-Mexico border in Arizona, arguing the Trump administration unlawfully waived dozens of laws as part of the project that will ultimately damage wildlife habitat. The injunction request filed Tuesday seeks to halt work on 68 miles (109 kilometers) of replacement barriers at Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge and San Pedro National Conservation Area before the start of construction on Aug. 21…The barriers currently at the three sites block vehicles from passing but still allow wildlife to move through. Environmental groups said the 30-foot (9.1-meter) replacement bollards that the Trump administration plans to erect would prevent the cross-border migration of wildlife. The replacement barriers would negatively affect the movement of bighorn sheep and the endangered Sonoran pronghorn at Organ Pipe and Cabeza Prieta, the environmental groups argued.”

Jacques Billeaud, “Groups tries to stop Trump’s border-wall efforts in Arizona,” The Associated Press, August 6, 2019