Laredo, TX, filed an injunction Sept. 30 against state and federal agencies to prevent construction of truck safety inspection facilities at the World Trade and Colombia Solidarity bridges linking Mexico and Texas.

Laredo Mayor Betty Flores has said she doesn't oppose inspecting trucks for safety. But the mayor wants the facilities located away from the heavily-traveled bridges to prevent pollution, congestion and economic harm to Laredo.

The Texas Department of Public Safety is scheduled to inspect trucks at eight Texas Department of Transportation-built inspection facilities. TxDOT will then build permanent facilities.

Increased truck traffic is expected when the U.S. border officially opens to Mexican trucks. But before that happens, U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta must certify that opening the border does not pose an unacceptable safety risk. President Bush must then lift the current moratorium on Mexican trucks.

Meanwhile, the suit says the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) violated the Fifth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution by allowing TxDOT to occupy city land at the World Trade Bridge. This constitutes "a taking without just compensation," the petition says.

In addition, the city alleges the state's plans create "an extra-statutory 'two-stop' inspection station," in which trucks must stop once for state inspections and again for federal inspections.

The city also argues that TxDOT violated that National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 by failing to either complete or follow the process for an environmental assessment of the temporary inspection sites.
--Dick Larsen, senior editor