[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 160 (Tuesday, August 19, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 49761-49762]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-21161]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Office of the Secretary


Notice of Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant 
Impact Related to the Pulsed Fast Neutron Analysis Cargo Inspection 
System Test Facility at the Ysleta Port of Entry Commercial Cargo 
Facility, El Paso, Texas

AGENCY: Counterdrug Technology Development Program Office (CTDPO), 
Department of Defense (DoD).

ACTION: Notice of Environmental Assessment and Finding of No 
Significant Impact.

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SUMMARY: The Counterdrug Technology Development Program Office (CTDPO) 
is considering the construction of a Pulsed Fast Neutron Analysis 
(PENA) Cargo Inspection System Test Facility at the Ysleta Port of 
Entry Commercial Cargo Facility, El Paso, Texas and has prepared an 
Environmental Assessment in support of this action. Based upon the 
Environmental Assessment, the Department of Defense has concluded that 
a Finding of No Significant Impact is appropriate, and therefore an 
Environmental Impact Statement is unnecessary.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. Stephen Haimbach, Department of 
Defense, Counterdrug Technology Development Program Office, Naval 
Surface Warfare Center, 17320 Dahlgren Road, Dahlgren, Virginia 22448-
5100; telephone (540) 653-2374 or e-mail [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In its counter-terrorism and counter-drug 
efforts, the Federal Government has invested considerable resources 
into developing technologies for detecting explosives, narcotics or 
other

[[Page 49762]]

contraband hidden among the freight imported into the United States. 
Radiation-based, non-intrusive inspection systems, such as X-ray and 
gamma ray, have been in use for several years by Federal Government 
agencies. A related technology, called Pulsed Fast Neutron Analysis 
(PFNA), was developed several years ago for cargo inspection. PFNA is 
designed to directly and automatically detect and measure the presence 
of specific materials, such as cocaine or explosives, which may have 
been hidden within the vehicle. PFNA technology uses pulses of neutrons 
as the radiation source to non-intrusively examine packages and 
containers for suspect materials. While PFNA has been successfully 
demonstrated in a laboratory setting, it has yet to be tested in an 
operational environment.
    The Department of Defense in cooperation with the United States 
Bureau of Customs and Border Protection and the Transportation Security 
Administration plans to conduct a six-month operational test of a PFNA 
system at the Ysleta/Zaragosa Border Station in Ysleta, Texas. Ysleta 
is next to the Rio Grande River just southeast of the city of El Paso. 
Ysleta was selected as the test location principally because it had 
space available (no additional land purchase was required) and 
sufficient commercial traffic.
    The test facility will consist of an inspection building 
(approximately 220 feet by 60 feet) housing the PFNA equipment and 
several smaller structures for electronic equipment and operators.
    The Environmental Assessment is available for public viewing by 
accessing the following Internet address: http://www.scainc.biz/EA.

    Dated: August 12, 2003.
Patricia L. Toppings,
Alternate OSD Federal Register Liaison Officer, Department of Defense.
[FR Doc. 03-21161 Filed 8-18-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 5001-08-M