Opposition to the National Security and Federal Lands Protection Act

The House is poised to consider the “Conservation and Economic Growth Act,” which includes the title, the “National Security and Federal Lands Protection Act.” The undersigned organizations are strongly opposed to that provision and to the entire bill.

The National Security and Federal Lands Protection Act and its backers are pushing a new over-reaching and extreme effort to create a 100 mile zone on the Mexican and Canadian borders that would sacrifice the rights of Americans to use their land and flout the environmental laws that protect it, all to advance an anti-immigrant, anti-privacy and anti-regulatory agenda. Proponents of the bill are taking the extraordinary step of handing over a 100 mile “operational control zone,” home to millions of Americans, to the federal government, saying that dozens of environmental, safety and religious freedom laws no longer apply.

We must respect the liberty of Americans to access our land and protect their right to breathe clean air and drink clean water, and to preserve our special places and wildlife for future generations. This bill represents none of those values. For those reasons, we ask that you support the Grijalva amendment to strike “The National Security and Federal Lands Protection Act” and oppose final passage of the bill.