Dozens of environmental laws were waived in Hidalgo and Starr counties along 13 tracts of the Lower Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuge.

The Department of Homeland Security issued the waiver on Aug. 26 in an effort to speed up the construction of approximately five miles of new 30-foot-tall border wall, DHS said.

It’s part of a project to build 100 miles of new border wall across the southwest border.

As part of the waiver, the federal government will no longer have to follow several federal laws such as the Endangered Species Act, the National Environmental Protection Act, the Clean Water Act, the Native Americans Protection and Repatriation Act and the Migratory Bird Conservation Act.

In a news release, DHS said the waivers are “critical steps to secure the southern border and

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