Environmental group demands review of border project's impact on endangered ocelots
Ocelots are endemic to the southwestern United States, yet today there are fewer than 50 in the country and they all live in South Texas, according to conservationists.
(CN) — An environmental group on Tuesday threatened to sue the Department of Homeland Security for not considering how its planned construction of 13 miles of border levee wall along the Rio Grande in South Texas will affect endangered ocelots.
The Center for Biological Diversity claims DHS has not consulted with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to ensure the project in Texas’ Rio Grande Valley will not jeopardize around 50 ocelots who live in the region, in violation of the Endangered Species Act and the National Environmental Policy Act.
Citing the need to reduce the risk of flooding for border towns near McAllen, Texas, DHS announced the project in July but said it would not involve building new border barriers.
President Joe Biden issued a proclamation on his first day in office directing the agency to pause work on each wall-construction project on the border for 60 days to figure out how to spend money Congress had appropriated for barriers along the Rio Grande, which divides Texas and Mexico.
https://www.courthousenews.com/environmental-group-demands-review-of-border-projects-impact-on-endangered-ocelots/
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