Speech #1100060161

I appreciate being able to offer this amendment tonight. What I would like to do is establish the legislative history for a pilot project that would help eradicate a tactical cover along the Rio Grande. My amendment simply adds $5 million to title 1I and subtracts $5 million from title II. but would take $5 million from the environmental regulatory assessments funding. which would lower that back to what the President requested. l 2300 The Border Patrol would use this money to create a pilot project to eliminate. eradicate. noxious. invasive species of weeds along the Rio Grande. The Rio Grande creates the border between the Republic of Texas. United States. and Mexico. and many long stretches are inundated with a noxious weed such as Russian olive and salt cedar. These weeds can grow from 10 to 15 feet in height. They provide excellent tactical cover for anyone trying to sneak across the border. or in what is on this side of the United States. stage in ways that our Border Patrol agents cant see them. I have spoken with leadership of the Border Patrol. along with former sector chief Simon Garza for the Marfa sector in relation to this project. and it is an idea that they would support if they were able to get funding for that. This is a win on two different levels. One. it would eliminate this tactical cover that the folks trying to sneak across could use. and it would make our cameras and UAVs much more effective because of the loss of that cover. But it would also have a conservation issue in that these weeds. such as the salt cedar. will use up to 200 gallons of water a day. If these weeds were eliminated along the Rio Grande. that would put additional water in the Rio Grande. which would of course make that much better of a barrier to folks trying to sneak into this country. The safety of our Border Patrol would be improved as they walk up and approach the river. If this cover was eliminated. they would be able to see what was going on along our border to better do their job. This amendment would also ask or require that the Border Patrol report on how they spent the money and whether or not this is a program that they would want to pursue going forward.