Completely agree. This administration continually uses solutions for non existent problems (employing emergency powers, for instance) to promote their real objective of removing the ability of the public to be able to engage in discussions regarding their future. I guess our opinions are viewed as inconvenient to their agendas.
We appreciate you covering this issue and also including a quote from our executive director, and a link to our piece on Senator Lee's so-called “Border Lands Conservation Act.”
However, as we pointed out, while Senator Lee’s bill appear to limit its reach to border areas, the bill’s provisions that amend the 1964 Wilderness Act apply to every Wilderness in the nation—all 112 million acres of designated Wilderness.
The 100 mile figure (Sec 5) of the bill, is only presented once in the text of the bill, and as you point out is regarding "Search and Rescue Operations."
However, the section right before that in Lee's bill, (Sec 4) says the following regarding amending Section 4(d) of the Wilderness Act, clearly allowing the Secretary of Homeland Security to conduct the following activities in ALL Wilderness areas across the entire country, not just Wilderness areas within 100 miles of the Border.
Section 4(d) of the Wilderness Act (16 U.S.C. 1133(d)) is amended by adding at the end the following:
“(8) Notwithstanding any other provision of this Act, the Secretary of Homeland Security may conduct the following activities within a wilderness area for the purpose of securing the international land borders of the United States:
“(A) Access structures, installations, and roads.
“(B) Execute search and rescue operations.
“(C) Use motor vehicles, motorboats, and motorized equipment.
“(D) Conduct patrols on foot and on horseback.
“(E) Notwithstanding any other law, including regulations, relating specifically to the use of aircraft in a wilderness area or in the airspace above a wilderness area, use aircraft, including approach, landing, and takeoff.
“(F) Deploy tactical infrastructure (as defined in section 2 of the Border Lands Conservation Act) and technology.
“(G) Construct and maintain roads and physical barriers.”.
I think it is a great observation. You do a wonderful job of sprinkling these zingy remarks throughout your writing about these people who are working so hard to destroy the things we care about. Like that one about Ryan Zinke being "(R-Santa Barbara)". Please keep them coming.
It is so painful the way he keeps coming after our lands and you have done amazing work on exposing the real story of these times! It is shameful someone from the beautiful state of Utah keeps trashing it and he should be voted out. This year has been a full on assault on all that we value and treasure so we have to stay on task and stand up to him and others.
It seems like, as is so often the case with these things, this bill presents a solution to a nonexistent problem in order to Trojan horse its actual goal. So it’s notable in my mind that the pushback quoted, by focusing instead on the immediate harms of the bill to wilderness areas and civil liberties, implicitly grants the premise that migrant camp-caused fires are even a problem to begin with. Do you have a sense for how common they actually are? My Spidey sense says they’re next to nonexistent—and if that is in fact the case, it bears saying a lot, and loudly. (It’s telling, of course, that Lee couldn’t care less about the number of immigrants who die of thirst, exposure, or otherwise along remote stretches of the border.)
I tried to find that data while researching this and couldn't. My general sense is that flora along the southern border doesn't exactly lend itself to large wildfire. So beyond the real problems of trash and possibly the rare localized brush fire, we're not talking about a substantial problem. As you suggest the real issues are very much the risks immigrants face: exploitation, exposure, and our broken system that doesn't provide people with a realistic path to legitimate status.
You probably already knew this, but you can at least find fire cause and location in WildCad- publicly available data. It won’t say “immigrant caused”, but it will generally say “abandoned camp fire”. That would be a super interesting study actually. I’d also be interested to know how many wild fires are caused by Border Patrol.
Deep thanks for your powerful “voice in the wilderness” against the powerful but misguided, marauding efforts of Senator Lee!1
Completely agree. This administration continually uses solutions for non existent problems (employing emergency powers, for instance) to promote their real objective of removing the ability of the public to be able to engage in discussions regarding their future. I guess our opinions are viewed as inconvenient to their agendas.
We appreciate you covering this issue and also including a quote from our executive director, and a link to our piece on Senator Lee's so-called “Border Lands Conservation Act.”
However, as we pointed out, while Senator Lee’s bill appear to limit its reach to border areas, the bill’s provisions that amend the 1964 Wilderness Act apply to every Wilderness in the nation—all 112 million acres of designated Wilderness.
The 100 mile figure (Sec 5) of the bill, is only presented once in the text of the bill, and as you point out is regarding "Search and Rescue Operations."
However, the section right before that in Lee's bill, (Sec 4) says the following regarding amending Section 4(d) of the Wilderness Act, clearly allowing the Secretary of Homeland Security to conduct the following activities in ALL Wilderness areas across the entire country, not just Wilderness areas within 100 miles of the Border.
Here's the text directly from Lee's bill (https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/2967/text)
SEC. 4. Access to wilderness areas.
Section 4(d) of the Wilderness Act (16 U.S.C. 1133(d)) is amended by adding at the end the following:
“(8) Notwithstanding any other provision of this Act, the Secretary of Homeland Security may conduct the following activities within a wilderness area for the purpose of securing the international land borders of the United States:
“(A) Access structures, installations, and roads.
“(B) Execute search and rescue operations.
“(C) Use motor vehicles, motorboats, and motorized equipment.
“(D) Conduct patrols on foot and on horseback.
“(E) Notwithstanding any other law, including regulations, relating specifically to the use of aircraft in a wilderness area or in the airspace above a wilderness area, use aircraft, including approach, landing, and takeoff.
“(F) Deploy tactical infrastructure (as defined in section 2 of the Border Lands Conservation Act) and technology.
“(G) Construct and maintain roads and physical barriers.”.
Wow...
The, "In addition to trolling members of marginalized communities on Twitter,..." barb is brutal. Excellent work.
Where's the lie?
I think it is a great observation. You do a wonderful job of sprinkling these zingy remarks throughout your writing about these people who are working so hard to destroy the things we care about. Like that one about Ryan Zinke being "(R-Santa Barbara)". Please keep them coming.
It is so painful the way he keeps coming after our lands and you have done amazing work on exposing the real story of these times! It is shameful someone from the beautiful state of Utah keeps trashing it and he should be voted out. This year has been a full on assault on all that we value and treasure so we have to stay on task and stand up to him and others.
It seems like, as is so often the case with these things, this bill presents a solution to a nonexistent problem in order to Trojan horse its actual goal. So it’s notable in my mind that the pushback quoted, by focusing instead on the immediate harms of the bill to wilderness areas and civil liberties, implicitly grants the premise that migrant camp-caused fires are even a problem to begin with. Do you have a sense for how common they actually are? My Spidey sense says they’re next to nonexistent—and if that is in fact the case, it bears saying a lot, and loudly. (It’s telling, of course, that Lee couldn’t care less about the number of immigrants who die of thirst, exposure, or otherwise along remote stretches of the border.)
I tried to find that data while researching this and couldn't. My general sense is that flora along the southern border doesn't exactly lend itself to large wildfire. So beyond the real problems of trash and possibly the rare localized brush fire, we're not talking about a substantial problem. As you suggest the real issues are very much the risks immigrants face: exploitation, exposure, and our broken system that doesn't provide people with a realistic path to legitimate status.
You probably already knew this, but you can at least find fire cause and location in WildCad- publicly available data. It won’t say “immigrant caused”, but it will generally say “abandoned camp fire”. That would be a super interesting study actually. I’d also be interested to know how many wild fires are caused by Border Patrol.
Wes, thanks for continuing to get the facts out there clearly & concisely. We absolutely need to find a larger platform for you!
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