[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 182 (Tuesday, September 19, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 56595-56596]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-24051]


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DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

Bureau of Prisons


Notice of Intent To Prepare a Draft Environmental Impact 
Statement for the Construction of Private Correctional Facilities in 
Arizona and California

AGENCY: Bureau of Prisons, Department of Justice.

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare a Draft Environmental Impact 
Statement (DEIS).

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SUMMARY:

Proposed Action

    The Bureau of Prisons (BOP) will prepare a DEIS for a Contractor-
Owned and Contractor-Operated private correctional facility(ies) to 
house sentenced criminal aliens. The BOP is facing unprecedented growth 
in its inmate population. As a result, low security federal 
correctional institutions will be especially impacted. The projected 
growth in the population of sentenced criminal aliens will further 
exacerbate these low security population demands.
    The BOP will be soliciting for a Contractor-Owned and Contractor-
Operated correctional facility(ies) to house approximately 4,500 low 
security, male, non U.S. citizen criminal aliens. Proposed 
facility(ies) may include construction of a new facility, expansion of 
an existing facility, or use of an existing facility. Twenty sites 
throughout Arizona and California have been identified by contractors 
and offered to the BOP for consideration. The proposed sites have been 
submitted by the following contractors:
    Cornell Corrections: (1) 80 acres of vacant, undeveloped land 
located west of Rancho Road and north of Millux Road near the City of 
Arvin, CA; (2) 77 acres of vacant, undeveloped land located along the 
south side of State Highway (SH) 186 and approximately 1,300 feet west 
of Rex Allen Jr. Drive near the City of Willcox, AZ; (3) 80 acres of 
vacant, undeveloped land located west of Sunset Boulevard and the 
Central Main Channel approximately 600 feet north of Cole Road near the 
city of Calexico, CA; (4) 79.09 acres of vacant, unimproved western 
Mojave Desert land located north of the BNSF railroad right-of-way near 
the city of Barstow, CA; (5) 88.24 acres of undeveloped land located in 
Snowflake, AZ.
    Dominion Correctional Properties: (1) 196.2 acres of land of which 
36.2 acres is proposed for the location of a sewage treatment facility, 
located SE 1/4 of Section 15, T 19 N, R 18 W, of the Gila and Salt 
River Meridian near the city of Kingman, AZ.
    Alternative Programs, Inc.: (1) 80 acre parcel of land located west 
of Avenue D, between County 23rd Street and County 24th Street in San 
Luis, AZ.
    Wackenhut Corrections Corporation: (1) 72 acres of agricultural 
land located in the southwest corner of Scofield Avenue and the 
undeveloped Poso Avenue alignment in Wasco, CA; (2) 64 acres of vacant 
land located west of Lenwood Road, between Jasper and Agate Roads near 
Barstow, CA; (3) 160 acres of undeveloped land located at the northwest 
corner of Arica and La Palma Roads in Eloy, AZ.
    Correctional Services Corporation: (1) Four adjacent parcels of 
land, totaling

[[Page 56596]]

approximately 97 acres each. The site is bordered by Anchor Avenue to 
the east, Parlier Avenue to the north, Monson Avenue to the west and 
East Manning Avenue to the south, near the city of Orange Cove, CA. (2) 
160 acres of agricultural land bordered by Clark Road to the east and 
beyond by an Imperial Irrigation District (IID) irrigation canal and 
alfalfa crops.
    The site is bordered by a vacant parcel with abandoned wooden 
structures to the north and beyond by the Imperial County detention 
facility. A dirt road borders the site to the west with an IID drainage 
canal and alfalfa crops located beyond. The site is bordered by a dirt 
road to the south and beyond by alfalfa crops, approximately three 
miles south of El Centro, CA; (3) 21 acres of agricultural land located 
at the northeastern edge of the town of Florence, AZ; (4) 235 acres of 
agricultural land bordered on the west by an asphalt road and 
agricultural land. The site is bordered on the north and east by dirt 
roads, irrigation ditches, and agricultural land. Located immediately 
south of the southeast corner of the site is a narrow strip of land 
along South Carter Lane, three miles northeast of the town of Eloy, AZ; 
(5) 100 acres of land located on the Safford Municipal Airport property 
approximately five miles northeast of Safford, AZ; (6) 115 acres of 
land bordered by U.S. 191 on the west, East Cardinal Drive on the 
north, South Lonesome Lane and residences on the east, and residences 
and undeveloped land on the south, approximately 4.5 miles south of 
Safford in Lebanon, AZ; (7) 136 acres of agricultural land bordered by 
E. Adams Avenue to the north, a dirt road to the east, E. Summer Avenue 
to the south and E. Hill Avenue to the west, approximately 3 miles west 
of Orange Cove, CA.
    Corrections Corporation of America: (1) 20 acres of land that 
consists of 12 separate buildings located about 3,500 feet southeast of 
the Gila River and approximately 3/4 miles northeast of the Town of 
Florence between U.S. Route 89 and Bowling Road, Florence, AZ.
    Imperial County Sheriff's Department: (1) 80 acre site located 
along the south side of McCabe Road and adjacent to the west side of 
Sperber Road in the agricultural area south of the city of El Centro, 
CA.
    City of Shafter: (1) 15.97 acres of land located 676 feet east of 
Beech Street on the north side of Los Angeles Street in the southeast 
area of the city of Shafter, CA.
    Each proposed site submitted to the BOP is in response to the 
Commerce Business Daily Notice issued June 13th. The notice required 
potential offerors to submit a Phase I Environmental Survey conducted 
in accordance with the American Society for Testing and Materials, 
Standard Practice for Environmental Site Assessment Process. Also 
included as a ``non-scope consideration'' under Chapter 12 of the 
Standard Practice, are a delineation or identification of on-site 
wetlands, and an analysis of potential impacts to threatened or 
endangered species, or species of special status. In further evaluation 
of these sites, several aspects will receive detailed examination 
including utilities, traffic patterns, noise, cultural resources, 
threatened and endangered species and land uses. The BOP intends to 
award a firm-fixed price contract with award-fee incentives; a 
potential term of ten years consisting of a three-year base and seven 
one-year option periods; a performance-based statement of work based 
generally on the American Correctional Association Standards; and a 
management emphasis on contractor quality control. After publication of 
this notice, the BOP will issue a Request for Proposals (RFPs). 
Proposals may be offered for any or all of the 20 sites.

Alternatives

    Alternatives will include the no action alternative, and all 
proposals received in response to the RFPs. Each alternative will be 
identified and fully examined. The DEIS will not contain a preferred 
alternative(s).

Scoping Process

    Pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as 
amended, (NEPA), a Scoping process will be conducted. As part of this 
process, public meetings will be held in Arizona and California to 
identify issues of concern for analysis during the NEPA process. 
Information packets containing a description of each site will be 
available during the meetings. Copies of the Phase I Environmental Site 
Assessments will be made available upon written request. During the 
preparation of the DEIS, there will be numerous opportunities for 
public involvement. The meetings, locations, dates and times will be 
well publicized in the local newspaper of record in the affected 
communities adjacent to the potential sites. Meetings will be held to 
allow interested persons to voice their concerns on the scope and 
significant issues to be examined as part of the NEPA process.
    The Scoping process is being held to provide for timely public 
comments and understanding of Federal plans and programs with possible 
environmental consequences as required by NEPA and the National 
Historic Preservation Act of 1966.

DEIS Preparation

    Public notice will be given in the Federal Register and the local 
newspaper of record concerning the availability of the DEIS for public 
review and comment.

Address

    Questions concerning the proposed action may be directed to: David 
J. Dorworth, Chief, Site Selection and Environmental Review Branch, 
Federal Bureau of Prisons, 320 First Street, NW., Washington, DC 20534, 
Attention: Debra J. Hood, Telephone (202) 305-1102, Telefacsimile (202) 
616 6024, E-mail: [email protected]

    Dated: September 13, 2000.
David J. Dorworth,
Chief, Site Selection and Environmental Review Branch.
[FR Doc. 00-24051 Filed 9-18-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4410-05-U