U.S. Department of Transport (DOT) Secretary Sean Duffy announced Tuesday that a $150 million federal grant has been finalised to build new immigration facilities and roads for the San Diego-Baja-California border.
As part of the grant agreement, the Green New Deal requirement from the Biden administration, including a zero-emission vehicle charging provision, will be removed.
This point has called the requirement a waste of taxpayer funds and has left the US Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) mission for national security.
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The Otay Mesa East Port of Entry project was awarded a grant from the nationally significant multimodal freight and highway project program in September 2022, but the project never made any progress.
The commercial port of Otaymesa, California is one of three entrances to the San Diego Tijuana metropolitan area. (Google Maps)
“Thanks to the lack of focus of the previous administration, this important project sat at Limbo for two years. It has now moved to finalize the deal, so it will protect the southern border and help crack down on drug trafficking while preventing taxes that subsidize the prioritization of the pointless Green New Deal,” Duffy said. “This sector will continue to clear unprecedented grants from previous administrations, bringing backlogs and results.”
The $150 million investment will provide CBP with new state-of-the-art testing and commercial vehicle enforcement facilities.
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US Secretary of Transport Sean Duffy will speak at a press conference. (AP photo/Jaclyn Martin)
It also includes the deployment of intelligent transportation technologies to help manage traffic demand due to dynamic tolls. It says it will increase testing efficiency and strengthen cross-border trade.
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Dot added that the project will reduce crowds, bring economic benefits and promote job creation across Southern California.
Approximately 3,600 trucks crossing the border of Otay Mesa and beyond the Tecate ports of Entry of Ports, which are currently operating at full capacity, will have an alternative intersection once the project is complete.
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The project was promoted by the Biden administration after the Trump administration inherited more than 3,200 grants, but according to the DOT it has not continued.
“This unprecedented backlog subsidies have slowed significant investments in communities across the country,” Dot said in a news release. “Under Secretary Duffy’s leadership, the department is committed to accelerating these long-term funding allocations and addressing core infrastructure projects.”
Greg Wehner is a news reporter for Fox News Digital.
Story tips and ideas can be sent to greg.wehner @fox.com and Twitter @gregwehner.
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