[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 22 (Friday, February 2, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 5083-5084]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-1624]


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DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

Federal Bureau of Prisons


Notice of the Availability of the Finding of No Significant 
Impact for the Criminal Alien Requirement VI

AGENCY: Federal Bureau of Prisons, Department of Justice.

ACTION: Notice; Finding of No Significant Impact.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Prisons 
(BOP) announces the availability of the Finding of No Significant 
Impact (FONSI) concerning the Criminal Alien Requirement VI (CAR VI). 
The BOP is seeking flexibility in managing its current shortage of beds 
by contracting for those services with non-federal facilities to house 
federal inmates. This approach provides the BOP with flexibility to 
meet population capacity needs in a timely fashion, conform with 
federal law, and maintain fiscal responsibility, while successfully 
attaining the mission of the BOP. Initially, the BOP proposed to 
contract with multiple public and private corporations to house 
approximately 7,000 Federal, low-security, adult male, non-U.S. 
citizen, criminal aliens in existing Contractor-Owned/Contractor-
Operated facilities located in Arizona, California, Louisiana, New 
Mexico, Oklahoma, or Texas. The awards would be granted to the 
responsible offerors whose offers are found to be most advantageous to 
the Government. Five existing facilities, have been offered in response 
to the BOP's solicitation for

[[Page 5084]]

services. The five responses provided a combined total of 10,243 beds. 
Environmental impacts of each facility have been evaluated in a 
combined Environmental Assessment (EA) based primarily on information 
provided by the Offerors. The EA evaluated the full effects of the 
potentially available of 10,243 inmate beds.

Background Information

    Pursuant to Section 102(2)(c) of the National Environmental Policy 
Act of 1969 and the Council of Environmental Quality Regulations (40 
CFR parts 1500-1508), BOP has prepared EA to contract with multiple 
public and private corporations to house approximately 7,000 federal, 
low-security, adult male, non-U.S. citizen, criminal aliens in existing 
Contractor-Owned/Contractor-Operated facilities located in Arizona, 
California, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, or Texas. Five existing 
facilities, have been offered in response to the BOP's solicitation for 
services.
    The five responses provided a combined total of 10,243 beds. The EA 
was published on December 12, 2006, for a 30-day comment period and 
prepared pursuant to NEPA.

Project Information

    The BOP is responsible for carrying out judgements of the Federal 
courts whenever a period of confinement is ordered. Subsequently, the 
mission of the BOP is to protect society by confining offenders in the 
controlled environments of prisons and community-based facilities that 
are safe, humane, cost-efficient, and appropriately secure, and that 
provide work and other self-improvement opportunities to assist 
offenders in becoming law-abiding citizens. Approximately 162,200 
inmates are currently housed within the 114 federal correctional 
institutions that have levels of security ranging from minimum to 
maximum; a number exceeding the combined rated capacities of all 
federal correctional facilities. Measures being taken to manage the 
growth of the federal inmate population include construction of new 
institutions, acquisition and adaptation of facilities originally 
intended for other purposes, expansion and improvement of existing 
correctional facilities, and expanded use of contract beds. Adding 
capacity through these various means allows the BOP to work toward the 
long-term goal of reduced system-wide crowding.

Alternatives Considered

    The No Action alternative is defined as a decision not to proceed 
with the proposed action to award a contract to house the described 
population. Instead, the BOP would continue the current and long-
standing arrangement whereby low-security, adult male, criminal alien 
inmate populations are housed in facilities owned and operated by the 
BOP as well as with state, local, and private residential reentry 
centers and in alternative confinement. Adoption of the No Action 
alternative would avoid the potential impacts associated with use of a 
Contractor-Owned/Contractor-Operated correctional facility to house 
low-security, federal inmates.
    Under the No Action alternative, the beneficial impacts on local 
and regional economies resulting from operational budget expenditures 
at potentially vacant or underutilized correctional facilities would 
not occur. The loss of jobs is likely at some facilities under the No 
Action alternative. The No Action alternative does not meet the purpose 
and need of the BOP's Action alternative and would not address the 
demand for additional capacity to house the increasing federal inmate 
population.
    Five locations were evaluated in the EA. Because any given facility 
could be awarded a number of inmates up to its capacity, potential 
impacts at each facility were evaluated based upon its maximum possible 
capacity. The facilities and respective inmate populations evaluated 
were:

Big Spring Correctional Center (BSCC), located in Big Springs, Texas, 
evaluated for its maximum capacity under this action to provide 3,307 
beds.
Eden Detention Center (EDC), Eden, Texas, evaluated for its maximum 
capacity to provide 1,556 beds.
Giles W. Dalby Correction Center (GDCC) of Post, Texas, evaluated for 
its maximum capacity to provide 1,670 beds.
Pine Prairie Correctional Facility (PPCF), Pine Prairie, Louisiana, 
evaluated for its maximum capacity to provide 1,090 beds.
Reeves County Detention Center (RCDC), located in Pecos, Texas, 
evaluated for its maximum capacity to provide 2,620 beds.

    The impacts of the Action alternative on the environment were 
considered in an EA published on December 12, 2006, and prepared 
pursuant to NEPA. The EA evaluated the full effects of the potentially 
available of 10,243 inmate beds. Review of the EA with the necessary 
mitigation has led to a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI), as 
that phrase is defined pursuant to NEPA. The Action alternative would 
result in negligible impacts to public services of host communities. 
There would be no significant adverse impacts to surrounding land uses, 
utility systems, traffic patterns or other community considerations. No 
significant adverse on-site impacts as defined pursuant to NEPA are 
anticipated as a result of the Action alternative. After review of the 
comments received from interested agencies and local citizens 
concerning the EA, the BOP signed a FONSI for the Action alternative.

Notice of Availability

    BOP provided written notices of the availability of the EA in five 
newspapers with local and regional circulations, and through five local 
public libraries. The BOP also distributed approximately 175 copies 
(each) of the EA to Federal and State agencies, state and local 
governments, elected officials, interested organizations, and 
individuals.

Availability of The Finding of No Significant Impact

    The Finding of No Significant Impact and other information 
regarding this project are available upon request. To request a copy of 
the Finding of No Significant Impact, please contact: Pamela J. 
Chandler, Chief, or Issac J. Gaston, Site Selection Specialist, Site 
Selection and Environmental Review Branch, Federal Bureau of Prisons, 
320 First Street, NW., Washington, DC 20534. Tel: 202-514-6470/Fax: 
202-616-6024/E-mail: [email protected]@bop.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Pamela J. Chandler, or Issac J. 
Gaston, Federal Bureau of Prisons.

    Dated: January 26, 2007.
Issac J. Gaston,
Site Selection Specialist, Site Selection and Environmental Review 
Branch.
 [FR Doc. E7-1624 Filed 2-1-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4410-5-P