Congressman Thomas Tiffany | Official U.S. House headshot
Congressman Thomas Tiffany | Official U.S. House headshot
WASHINGTON, DC– Congressman Tom Tiffany (WI-07), chair of the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Federal Lands, has introduced the Trash Reduction and Suppressing Harm from Environmental Degradation (TRASHED) at the Border Act. This legislation aims to tackle the environmental damage caused by illegal aliens on federal lands.
"Having seen the litter of trash, clothes, and human waste on our federal borderlands firsthand, I can tell you that the environmental damage of President Biden’s open border needs critical attention," said Congressman Tiffany. "While the Biden administration turns a blind eye to the environmental consequences of illegal immigration, the TRASHED Border Act ensures there is greater transparency and accountability for illegals who litter on our public lands."
The TRASHED Border Act is a response to the alarming conditions observed along the southern border. House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Bruce Westerman (AR-04) commented, "The Biden border crisis is an unmitigated disaster, resulting in trash piled up in sensitive habitats and environmental degradation all along the southern border. The Biden administration has refused to take action, and now Congress must step up to prevent further environmental degradation due to Biden’s border crisis. The TRASHED Border Act will force the administration to fix the problem they created."
The proposed legislation requires the U.S. Forest Service and the Department of Interior to develop protocols for mitigating trash accumulation and the destruction of wildlife habitats along federal borderlands and sites associated with illegal immigration. It also mandates that federal land managers report on the total amount of trash and environmental degradation caused by illegal border crossings. Additionally, the TRASHED Border Act doubles fines and penalties for illegal immigrants who contribute to the environmental degradation of federal borderlands.
Illegal immigrants crossing the U.S.-Mexico border leave behind various forms of trash, including human waste, medical products, abandoned vehicles, and plastic. This illegal dumping, along with the creation of unauthorized trails and campfires, poses threats to wildlife, destroys habitats, and attracts disease-carrying insects. The contamination of nearby drinking water and the impact on crop production are additional concerns resulting from the problem of human waste.
In fiscal year 2021, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) reported that its district offices had to clean up 235 sites, collecting over 193 tons of garbage. Estimates suggest that each illegal immigrant will discard between 6 to 8 pounds of trash as they illegally cross the southern border.
Congressman Tiffany's TRASHED Border Act seeks to address these issues and hold accountable those who contribute to the environmental degradation of public lands. The full text of the legislation can be found on the official congressional website.
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For additional details, please follow this link: https://tiffany.house.gov/media/press-releases/tiffany-introduces-legislation-address-environmental-damage-public-lands
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