Texas issues cease-and-desist over border wall work near Big Bend

A border construction project near Big Bend is now at the center of a dispute between the state of Texas and the federal government after Texas Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham accused a federally hired contractor of clearing state-owned land without permission.Texas issues cease-and-desist over border wallBuckingham sent cease-and-desist letters this week to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the company leasing the property, and a subcontractor. She says this is not a fight over border security, but control over Texas land.The Texas General Land Office allege that more than a mile of state land in Presidio County, Texas was cleared to make way for border wall construction without written approval.Environmental impact concerns growThe conflict also comes as opponents of border wall construction near Big Bend say they remain concerned about potential environmental impacts in the region."For generations, Big Bend's remote landscape has remained largely untouched by the steel barriers