From The Progress Report, 10-23-07
ENVIRONMENT -- CHERTOFF DODGES ENVIRONMENTAL LAWS TO PUSH FOR BORDER FENCE: Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff "waived several environmental laws yesterday to continue building a border fence through a national conservation area in Arizona." An Oct. 10 ruling by a federal judge halted construction of the fence, "finding that the government had failed to carry out the required environmental assessment." Sean Sullivan of a southeastern Arizona branch of the Sierra Club, one of the plaintiffs in the lawsuit, was frustrated by Chertoff's decision: "Bulldozing the San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area and our important environmental protections is not necessary to manage the border," he said. Earlier this month, Chertoff defended construction of the fence by arguing it was in fact eco-friendly. "Illegal immigrants really degrade the environment. I've seen pictures of human waste, garbage, discarded bottles and other human artifact [sic] in pristine areas," he said. "And believe me, that is the worst thing you can do to the environment."