Arizona Attorney General sues feds for stopping border wall construction
PHOENIX - Arizona's Attorney General is in the national spotlight again as he's suing the federal government for stopping border wall construction.
Attorney General Mark Brnovich claims there are massive environmental impacts of not building the border wall and he says the administration needs to study that before the bulldozers leave.
"Under federal law, the National Environmental Protection Act says that before the federal government does something they have to consider the environmental impacts," Brnovich said.
This comes after the Biden Administration halted border wall construction.
Brnovich claims in a district court filing that construction should start up again until the impact studies of stopping construction are complete and what the potential increase in border crossings might mean for Arizona towns.
"It’s not just about the six to eight pounds of trash per person crossing the border that we’re talking about. We’re also talking about the population increases generally and what impact is that having on our overall environment," Brnovich said.
"This is just pure political grandstanding. This lawsuit doesn’t even pass the laugh test," said Laiken Jordhal with the Center for Biological Diversity.
Jordhal took videos on the border showing what he says are the impacts the wall, not the migrants, has on the environment.
The center claims the Trump Administration waived 40 environmental laws to start construction.
"They’ve used thousands of pounds of dynamite to blow up mountains, to bulldoze indigenous sacred sites, to plow through wildlife refuges," Jordhal said.
Brnovich was asked if the lawsuit to start construction again is about the environment or if it’s about finding a legal way to get crews working again.
His response, "If you’re asking me, am I going to do everything I can to secure our border, yes. The answer's yes."
FOX 10 reached out to the White House and Department of Homeland Security for comment on the lawsuit but didn’t get a response.
The suit has been filed in US District Court but a hearing has not been scheduled yet.