U.S. plans long border wall in south Texas - Reuters [View All]

[Eugene]

Source: Reuters

U.S. plans long border wall in south Texas
Tue Sep 25, 2007 6:32pm EDT

HOUSTON (Reuters) - The U.S. government said it plans
to build 70 miles of 16-foot-tall (5 meter) border
fencing in southern Texas, including a section through
a sensitive wildlife refuge, but local opponents vowed
on Tuesday to keep fighting the wall.

The plans were unveiled late on Monday in the first
detailed look at the barrier the government says it must
build to slow illegal immigration along the 1,200-mile-
long (1,920-km) Texas-Mexico border.

In a request for public comment on the environmental
impact of the fence, the U.S. Customs and Border
Protection agency said construction could begin next
spring.

-snip-

The refuge is considered one of the most biologically
diverse wildlife sanctuaries in the nation and
environmentalists say the fence could harm endangered
species such as ocelots and jaguarundi found there.

-snip-

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUSN2539657520070925