Department of Homeland Security Will Skip Environmental Review for the Border Wall

Also, the House of Representatives has approved the funding president trump wants for the wall, but the Senate is likely to balk.

1 minute read

August 2, 2017, 11:00 AM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


Imperial Beach Border

Tony Webster / Flickr

According to an article by Elliot Spagat for the Associated Press, the Department of Homeland Security is planning to move forward with construction on the Trump Administration's proposed border wall without undertaking environmental reviews.

Department of Homeland Security released a statement that the department will be publishing a notice exempting the project from the National Environmental Protection Act. A 2005 law gives the Department of Homeland Security the power to waive regulations, according to Spagat.

The proposed border wall is potentially momentum, though large legislative tests remain. The news about the waiver follows on the heels of news last week that the House of Representatives approved $1.6 billion in funding for the border wall as part of a "a national security-themed spending package," according to an article by Cristina Marcos and Niv Elis. That funding "fully meets Trump’s budget request," according to Marcos and Elis, making it "likely that Senate Democrats will block the spending package when it moves to the upper chamber." Planetizen also picked up news recently that border wall plans were moving quickly along on federal land in Texas.

Wednesday, August 2, 2017 in Associated Press via Denver Post

Young Professional

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban and Environmental Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban and Environmental Planner

Get top-rated, practical training for planners

"Planetizen federal action tracker" logo superimposed over black and white image of US Capitol dome.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

September 23, 2026 - Zachary Whalen

Passengers board an Amtrak train under a cloudy sky.

Amtrak, CN end decades-long dispute with eight-year agreement

The new operating agreement establishes an updated framework for the companies to work together, including processes to resolve disputes.

September 18, 2026 - Mass Transit

An Airo train driving towards the camera on a track. There is a forest behind it.

Northwest rail fans eager for Sept. 30 debut of Amtrak’s Airo fleet

Get ready for that new train smell and more seats. But they won’t go faster or run more frequently on the Cascades route in Washington and Oregon.

September 22, 2026 - Washington State Standard

The outside of a brightline transit hub with many windows on a sunny day.

Brightline Florida files for bankruptcy

The transit company is over $5 billion in debt.

September 26 - Financial Times

A blue Metrolink train with two cars drives toward the camera.

St. Louis Metro to test if single-car trains can reduce operating costs, maintain rider satisfaction

The pilot program will run from October to spring 2027, and begin with one single-car train operating on Metrolink’s Red and Blue lines.

September 25 - Mass Transit

An abandoned mine in Pennsylvania. The ceiling is low, the walls and floors are gray, and mine cart tracks run along the bottom.

Pennsylvania is building data centers in abandoned mines

Housing data centers in mines provides an alternative to destroying local forests and may spare residents from data centers’ noise and air pollution.

September 25 - Inside Climate News

FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?

After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.

Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold

The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.

Senior Planner

City of Thousand Oaks

Community Development Director

City of Wisconsin Rapids

Professor of Urban Planning

Harvard University Graduate School of Design