[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]
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