Sec. 222. Mitigating environmental degradation and wildland fires caused by illegal immigration
368 words·~2 min read·
/bill/118/hr/9678/ih/section-222·A research copy — for the controlling text, always check the official state or federal source. Not legal advice.
Not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary concerned, in coordination with the Secretary of Homeland Security, shall establish and implement policies and protocols to mitigate, avoid, or prevent— wildland fires ignited by aliens without lawful immigration status; and environmental degradation on covered Federal lands caused by aliens without lawful immigration status crossing the southern border. In developing the protocols under subsection (a), the Secretary concerned shall consider policies to— reduce trash accumulation along the southern border, particularly in ecologically sensitive areas; prevent the ignition of wildland fires by aliens without lawful immigration status, particularly in where there is a risk of— loss of life or property; damage to critical wildlife habitat; damage to public infrastructure; and degradation of watersheds or public water sources; address the destruction of sensitive natural and archeological resources; and address the destruction of wildlife habitat.
Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary concerned shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report that includes— a description of the policies and protocols established under subsection (a); a catalog of all reported incidents of environmental degradation and wildland fires ignited by aliens without lawful immigration status, including— the number of acres burned and total number of fires ignited; a description of each incident of environmental degradation and the total number of such incidents; the estimated cost of cleaning up or remediating such environmental degradation; the number of such aliens connected to each fire and whether or not they were apprehended; and the area in which incidents of environmental degradation occurred, including areas congressionally designated for the protection of natural resources; and additional resources or authorities necessary to mitigate, avoid, or prevent wildland fires and environmental degradation caused by aliens without lawful immigration status crossing the southern border.
Not later than 2 years after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General of the United States shall update its November 2011 report entitled Federal Agencies Could Better Utilize Law Enforcement Resources in Support of Wildland Fire Management Activities . In updating the report under paragraph (1), the Comptroller General shall include information on each Border State.