Border Lands Conservation Act
The Border Lands Conservation Act would expand federal authority and DHS involvement on federal lands near the U.S. borders (southern with Mexico and northern with Canada). It directs the Interior and Agriculture departments to build navigable roads and install technology on covered federal land to deter illegal border crossings and improve operational control, with DHS access and coordination. It also allows certain targeted activities inside wilderness areas to secure the borders, clarifies that Interior/ Agriculture cannot block DHS actions within 100 miles of the borders, and creates programs and reporting requirements to support border security and related fire/environmental concerns. The bill also prohibits housing aliens on federal land (with limited detention facility exceptions) and sets up an interagency framework and reporting to monitor environmental impacts, fires, ranching impacts, and fuel management on these lands. In short, the bill seeks to increase physical and operational border security on federal lands through road infrastructure, enhanced access for security agencies, expanded authority inside wilderness areas, ongoing fuel and land management programs, and mandatory reporting on environmental and related costs and impacts.
Key Points
- 1Expanded navigable road infrastructure and DHS access on covered federal land (Sec. 3)
- 2- Requires inventory of existing roads and installation of navigable roads to deter border crossings, gain operational control, and improve DHS access. Includes provisions for administration, maintenance, and interagency cooperation on technology to deter illegal entry.
- 3Expanded DHS activities in wilderness areas (Sec. 4)
- 4- Amends the Wilderness Act to authorize DHS activities within wilderness areas for securing border land, including access to structures, search and rescue, motorized use, patrols, aircraft use, deployment of tactical infrastructure, and construction/maintenance of roads and barriers.
- 5DHS cannot be impeded within 100 miles of the borders (Sec. 5)
- 6- Prohibits the Secretaries of the Interior and Agriculture from hindering DHS operations on covered federal land within 100 miles of the southern or northern border in relation to search and rescue or preventing unlawful entries.
- 7Border Fuels Management Initiative (Sec. 8)
- 8- Establishes a program to reduce hazardous fuels, address invasive species, install fuel breaks, set annual targets, and prioritize fuels management on lands where navigable roads have been installed. Requires coordination with Border Patrol and other agencies.
- 9Reporting and accountability on environmental and land-use impacts (Sec. 9)
- 10- Requires federal agencies to report on environmental degradation and wildland fires linked to aliens crossing borders, impacts on visitors and hunting/fishing access, cleanup costs, and resources needed to mitigate these impacts. Includes specific reporting for National Parks, National Wildlife Refuges, and other units, plus an updated Comptroller General study and a ranching impact assessment with policy recommendations.