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Texas representative files bill calling attention to environmental impacts of border wall

House Bill 990, filed by San Antonio representative Roland Gutierrez, calls for the Texas Water Development Board and TCEQ to submit a report to the Legislature about the border wall's effects.

AUSTIN, Texas — A new bill filed Wednesday by Texas Representative Roland Gutierrez calls for more attention to the environmental impacts of President Donald Trump's proposed border wall.

If passed, House Bill 990 would call on the Texas Water Development Board and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) to submit a report to the governor and the Legislature regarding the effects of border wall construction. It requests the findings of the report be filed no later than March 1, 2020, to determine if the State of Texas will file a lawsuit against the federal government.

According to the office of Rep. Gutierrez, a border wall would negatively impact several towns in the Rio Grande Floodplain that have recently experienced record-breaking flooding. Referencing an article from Texas Monthly, Guiterrez states a border wall could mean disaster for some Texas towns where fencing could become packed by debris, creating a dam effect and flooding surrounding areas.

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The representative also states the border wall creates a property rights issue.

"Taking thousands of acres from Texas farmers and ranchers while cutting off communities from their own water supply just doesn't make sense," said Rep. Gutierrez. "We have a chance to be the first state Legislature to stand up to the federal government's unprecedented land grab and we should take it."

Rep. Guiterrez serves Texas House District 119, representing portions of San Antonio adjacent to Bexar County.

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