U.S. Rep. Vicente Gonzalez (R-TX) joined colleagues in urging U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken to approved permitting and end longstanding delays for four cross-border bridge projects in South Texas.
The projects, three bridges in Webb and Cameron counties, were filed early on in President Joe Biden’s administration the letter said, and a fourth in Maverick County is expected to be filed soon. The Congress members said the projects all received notification in August 2022, after the 60-day requirement for the Secretary of State to make a recommendation to the President, saying the bridge projects required a full and final environmental assessment before any recommendation could be made.
“My colleagues and I agree that environmental studies are an important measure to mitigate negative impacts on our local ecosystems,” Gonzalez said. “However, there are other processes available that can provide a thorough environmental review without further delaying vital projects. In my district alone, the Flor de Mayo International Bridge Project has been delayed for years. We must eliminate bureaucratic red tape to ensure that South Texas’s infrastructure can meet the demand of trade and tourism for decades to come.”
The Congressmembers said the bureaucratic hurdle should be eliminated because the Secretary of State should not be determining whether an international crossing meets environmental guidelines but foreign policy interests. Additionally, the law makers said, the crossings are all adjacent to or near other crossings which should negate the need for extensive environmental assessments.
“Our nation depends on South Texas’s infrastructure and labor to successfully conduct trade with Mexico, one of our largest trading partners,” Gonzalez said. “These bridge projects are needlessly being put on hold while our communities and country continue to be negatively impacted.”
The letter was also signed by U.S. Sens. Ted Cruz (R-TX) and John Cornyn (R-TX), and U.S. Reps. Henry Cuellar (D-TX) and Monica De La Cruz (R-TX).