Letter to the editor: Save Big Bend National Park and our tourist-based economy

Our newly minted U.S. Representative, Will Hurd, has co-sponsored a bill in the US House of Representatives entitled: Secure Our Borders First Act of 2015, (HR399). This is the same snake oil that was peddled by our former Tea Party Representative, Canseco, during his one term representing the 23rd Congressional District. The man behind the curtain pushing this bill is the same man who pushed identical legislation in 2010, Utah Tea Party Congressman Bob Bishop, who is heavily funded by the oil and gas industries. Their goal is to open our national lands to exploitation by the mineral extraction industries. I was willing to grant Congressman Hurd the benefit of the doubt, attributing his support of this pernicious legislation to naiveté and inexperience in this new job; however, after reading his comments in an OpEd wherein he claimed to be an authority on US-Mexico border issues by virtue of him having served with the CIA in the Middle East, makes his ignorance of said issues willful and unforgivable.

Let me explain what this bill will do and why it is so repugnant. First off, Homeland Security does not support this legislation and said so back in 2010. That agency feels this bill is heavy handed, unnecessary, and would harm the good rapport they have built over the years with the Department of the Interior Interior and the National Park Service. This bill specifically applies to National Parks located within 100 miles of the U.S. borders. This paints a bullseye on Big Bend National Park. The bill would mandate that the Border Patrol build 192 miles of additional roads in the Big Bend Sector, as well as build/deploy high tech surveillance balloons, drones and towers. It denies the National Park Service, or any other Executive agency, any say in where or how this new infrastructure will be installed. Forget, the legal protections provided to our National Park, such as the Antiquities Act, the Historic Preservation Act, Wildness Act, the Endangered Species Act, etc., as they are waived. The result is that the Department of Homeland Security can come into Big Bend National Park and bulldoze archeological sites, endangered wildlife zones, destroy view shed, and the dark skies for which this park is internationally famous, in order to build the infrastructure required by HR399. I do not have to tell you what this would mean for Brewster and surrounding counties’ economies.

When Congressman Hurd was running for election, he said he was going to Washington to represent his constituents and that we should let him know what we wanted him to do; therefore, I am urging readers to contact his office by email, phone call, or letter to let him know that this legislation is harmful for our economy, our national treasures, and our environment. Urge him to visit the premier national park that lies within his district, visit with our local law enforcement, and really find out what we need to promote our local businesses and economy. His contact information: