Traditional fence costs may boost interest in virtual fence

House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., told business leaders last week that the cost of building traditional fencing along the southern border could be too expensive. That view has given ammunition to lawmakers and companies who want to see more technology used to control the borders.

Speaking to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Thompson downplayed the effectiveness and cost of fencing, saying it now totals about $6 million per mile to construct and will go higher.

"Every person in Congress has an idea of how we can secure our border," Thompson said. "Some say, 'Well, all we have to do is build a fence.' At first they wanted to do a 10-foot fence. Now it's 16 feet. Now people come with a 17-foot ladder. So somebody said, 'Well, why don't we put a moat around it and rebuild it and put alligators in it, and that will make it more secure."

The Homeland Security Department constructed 76 miles of fencing in fiscal 2007 and plans to construct 370 miles by the end of fiscal 2008.

"That fence initially started out costing about $1 million a mile," Thompson asserted. "It's costing about $6 million a mile now and still counting because we're not including the military cost associated with the construction of the fence."

Comparatively, Homeland Security officials have said that using technology for border security, such as remote sensors and unmanned aerial systems, costs about $1 million per mile.

"As the Department of Homeland Security works toward better securing our nation's borders, it is imperative that they use the right tools for the job and spend taxpayer dollars wisely," Thompson told CongressDaily. "While there has been a great deal of controversy about border fencing, what should not be up for debate is that the department's efforts should be fiscally responsible."

The cost of fencing, however, ranges dramatically, according to administration officials and the Government Accountability Office.

A spokesman for the department's Customs and Border Protection unit said the average cost of fencing is $3 million to $4 million per mile. He said the cost could be $6 million, depending on where the fence is built, logistics, and the price of materials and shipping.

A GAO report released last month said costs for fencing constructed in fiscal 2007 averaged $2.9 million per mile, ranging from $700,000 to $4.8 million per mile in Arizona. But GAO cited a Congressional Research Service report that said the projected cost for building some fencing outside San Diego, Calif., will be $21 million per mile.

GAO said "future costs may be higher due to factors such as the greater cost of commercial labor, higher than expected property acquisition costs, and unforeseen costs associated with working in remote areas."

GAO added that CBP spends $4 million per mile when using commercial contractors and plans to exclusively use commercial contractors to complete the remaining miles of fencing in 2008. At that rate, according to GAO, the total contract cost will be $890 million, which is "considerably more than CBP's initial estimate of $650 million."