I wonder how much of the cost is for the purchasing of all the private land that will be affected by the wall.
https://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R42346.pdf
See p. 22 `Border Security’ and the map showing federal ownership of borderland.
The objections of “environmental impacts” are just claptrap, as are concerns about acquiring the desert land.
“In general, federal efforts to secure the border are subject to the National Environmental Policy
Act of 1969 (NEPA),46 which requires agencies to evaluate the potential environmental impacts of
proposed programs, projects, and actions before decisions are made to implement them. They also
are governed by related regulations (40 C.F.R. Part 1500) that require agencies to integrate NEPA
project evaluations with other planning and regulatory compliance requirements to ensure that
planning and decisions reflect environmental values.47 However, the Secretary of the Department
of Homeland Security (DHS) has authority under law to waive NEPA and other environmental
laws for construction of fencing and other barriers along the U.S. international borders to deter
illegal crossings.48
There are extensive federal lands along the southwest border. The lands are managed by different
federal agencies under various laws for many purposes, as described above.... “
“I wonder how much of the cost is for the purchasing of all the private land”?
They report:
“The report accounted for the time and cost of acquiring private land, one reason for its steep price increase compared to estimates from Trump and members of Congress.”
Which sounds like they are getting real about doing this.
They also reported that funding is expected by April, with actual construction beginning in September.
Three Phases:
Phase One “would be the smallest, targeting sections covering 26 miles (42 km) near San Diego, California; El Paso, Texas; and in Texas’s Rio Grande Valley.”
Phase Two “would cover 151 miles (242 km) of border in and around the Rio Grande Valley; Laredo, Texas; Tucson, Arizona; El Paso, Texas and Big Bend, Texas.”
Phase Three “would cover an unspecified 1,080 miles..., essentially sealing off the entire U.S.-Mexico border.” (if you include 654 miles that already has some kind of barrier.)
A 200 foot wide strip of land along a 1250 mile section would only be 32,000 acres of land. Even at $10K / acre it would only be $300M. Desert and ranch land should average much less than $10K / acre.