Overview
- Noem’s signature on the sixth NEPA waiver accelerates installation of 17 miles of floating river barriers in the Rio Grande Valley.
- CBP identified waterways along the Southwest border as security gaps where drug smuggling, human trafficking and dangerous crossings occur.
- The barriers will be placed in stretches of the Rio Grande where Texas-installed buoys triggered lawsuits over federal enforcement interference and drowning hazards for migrants.
- The waiver bypasses both environmental assessments and navigational permits normally required for federal waterway projects.
- Funds stem from fiscal 2021 Trump-era wall appropriations reactivated under the Republican One Big Beautiful Bill Act.