[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 109 (Thursday, June 7, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 31606-31607]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 07-2830]


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DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE


Notice of Intent To Prepare a Draft Environmental Impact 
Statement (DEIS) for Development of a Contract Detention Facility To 
House Persons in the Custody of the U.S. Department of Justice

    The contract detention facility is proposed to be located within a 
75-mile radius of the Lloyd D. George U.S. Courthouse located at 333 
Las Vegas Boulevard, Las Vegas, Nevada.

AGENCY: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the Federal Detention 
Trustee.

ACTION: Notice of Intent to Prepare a Draft Impact Statement.

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SUMMARY: The United States Department of Justice, Office of the Federal 
Detention Trustee (OFDT), intends to prepare a Draft Environmental 
Impact Statement (DEIS) for development of a contract detention 
facility to house persons in the custody of the U.S. Department of 
Justice. The contract detention facility is proposed to be located 
within a 75-mile radius of the Lloyd D. George U.S. Courthouse located 
at 333 Las Vegas Boulevard, Las Vegas, Nevada.

Background Information

    The Office of the Federal Detention Trustee (OFDT) was established 
on December 20, 2000, when the President signed the Department of 
Justice Appropriations Act of 2001, Public Law 106-553. Public Law 106-
553 provides for necessary expenses for the OFDT who shall exercise all 
power and functions authorized by law relating to the detention of 
federal prisoners in non-federal institutions, or otherwise in the 
custody of the United States Marshals Service (USMS); and the detention 
of aliens in the custody of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, 
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (DHS/ICE). The OFDT has 
responsibility over construction of detention facilities or for housing 
related to such detention; the management of funds appropriated to the 
U.S. Department of Justice for the exercise of any detention functions, 
and the direction of the USMS and the DHS/ICE involving detention 
policies and operations for the U.S. Department of Justice. Detention 
consumes a significant and growing portion of the Department's budget 
with responsibility for detainees divided among several agencies.
    At the present time, the OFDT is seeking to obtain contract 
detention services to house persons in the custody of the USMS in the 
Las Vegas, Nevada region. The comprehensive detention

[[Page 31607]]

services would serve a population principally consisting of individuals 
charged with federal offenses and detained while awaiting trial or 
sentencing, a hearing on immigration status, or deportation. The OFDT 
intends to award a contract to accommodate approximately 1,000 to 1,500 
detainees.
    During the past 20 years, the federal detainee population has 
experienced unprecedented growth as a result of expanded federal law 
enforcement initiatives and resources. During this time, the detainee 
population has increased by over 1,000 percent, from approximately 
3,000 in 1981 to over 55,000 today with continued growth in the federal 
detainee population expected for the foreseeable future. These 
prisoners are currently housed in a combination of local, state, 
federal and private facilities with the growth in the detainee 
population occurring at the same time that available space in local 
jails is decreasing. Local jail space is increasingly needed to house 
local offenders, leaving less space available for the contractual 
accommodation of federal detainees. These trends are projected to 
continue and present a major challenge for the OFDT and other federal 
agencies responsible for detaining prisoners. By contrast, the USMS is 
the nation's oldest and most versatile federal law enforcement agency. 
Created by the Judiciary Act of 1789, the same legislation that 
established the federal judicial system, the USMS have served the 
nation through a variety of vital law enforcement activities. The 
Director, Deputy Director and 94 U.S. Marshals (appointed by the 
President or the Attorney General) direct the activities of 95 district 
offices and personnel stationed at more than 350 locations throughout 
the 50 states and U.S. territories. The USMS occupies a uniquely 
central position in the federal justice system and is involved in 
virtually every federal law enforcement initiative. Approximately 4,000 
Deputy Marshals and career employees perform a variety of nationwide, 
day-to-day missions.
    Faced with severe bedspace shortages in state and local jails, 
especially in major metropolitan areas, the OFDT and USMS periodically 
contract for detention services. Such a situation has arisen in the Las 
Vegas area where, until recently, federal detainees were housed in 
locally-owned and operated facilities. In response, it has been 
determined that in order to house federal detainees within proximity to 
the U.S. Courthouse in Las Vegas, reliance would be placed upon a 
Contractor-owned/Contractor-operated detention facility. The proposed 
facility shall be located within a 75-mile radius of the Lloyd D. 
George U.S. Federal Courthouse which is located at 333 Las Vegas 
Boulevard South in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Proposed Action

    The OFDT, in cooperation with the USMS, has determined that there 
is a need to house approximately 1,000 to 1,500 federal detainees 
within the Las Vegas, Nevada area. The high level of law enforcement 
activities of U.S. Department of Justice in the western United States 
in general and the Las Vegas, Nevada region in particular requires more 
beds than are readily available in local or state facilities. There is 
also a particular need for detention facilities to be located near 
federal courthouses because of the USMS responsibility to detain those 
individuals accused of violating federal laws and to make them 
available to the courts when necessary for trial or sentencing.
    In response to this need, the OFDT, in cooperation with the USMS, 
is seeking to contract with a detention contractor to provide a 
contractor-owned and operated facility capable of housing approximately 
1,000 to 1,500 detained individuals charged with federal offenses. 
Prospective contract detention facility sites within a 75-mile radius 
of the U.S. Courthouse located at 333 Las Vegas Boulevard in Las Vegas, 
Nevada have been offered to the OFDT and USMS for consideration. The 
sites are described as follows:
     Apex Industrial Use Zone Site (A)--Unincorporated Clark 
County, Nevada.
     Apex Industrial use Zone Site (B)--Unincorporated Clark 
County, Nevada.
     Dolan Springs Site--Dolan Springs, Mohave County, Arizona.
     1600 East Mike Road Site--Pahrump, Nye County, Nevada.
     2250 East Mesquite Avenue Site--Pahrump, Nye County, 
Nevada.
     2871 East Mesquite Avenue Site--Pahrump, Nye County, 
Nevada.
     8251 East Panaca Avenue/8500 East Huxley Avenue Site--
Pahrump, Nye County, Nevada.
     630 East Parque Avenue Site--Pahrump, Nye County, Nevada.
     Kingman Site--Kingman, Mohave County, Arizona.
     Moapa 80 Site--Moapa, Nevada.
     6871 North Blagg Road Site--Pahrump, Nye County, Nevada.
    Several of the sites listed above have been offered by more than 
one contractor and each site offered will be evaluated by the OFDT in a 
DEIS that will analyzed the potential impacts of detention facility 
construction and operation at the prospective sites.

The Process

    In the process of evaluating prospective sites, many factors and 
features will be analyzed including, but not limited to: topography, 
geology/soils, hydrology, biological resources, utility services, 
transportation services, cultural resources, land uses, socio-
economics, hazardous materials, visual and aesthetic resources, air and 
noise quality, among others.

Alternatives

    In developing the DEIS, the No Action alternative and alternative 
sites for the proposed contract detention facility will be examined.

Scoping Process

    During the preparation of the DEIS, there will be opportunities for 
public involvement in order to determine the issues to be examined. 
Public Scoping Meetings will be held in and around communities under 
consideration for development of the contract detention facility at 
times, dates and at locations to be determined. The meeting locations, 
dates, and times will be well publicized and will be arranged to allow 
for the public as well as interested agencies and organizations to 
attend and formally express their views on the scope and significant 
issues to be studied as part of the DEIS process. The Public Scoping 
Meetings are also being held to provide for timely public comments and 
understanding of federal plans and programs with possible environmental 
consequences as required by the National Environmental Policy Act of 
1969, as amended, and the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, 
as amended.

Availability of DEIS

    Public notice will be given concerning the availability of the DEIS 
for public review and comment.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Scott P. Stermer, Assistant Federal 
Detention Trustee, Telephone: 202-353-4601/Facsimile: 202-353-4611/e-
mail: [email protected].

    Dated: May 31, 2007.
Scott P. Stermer,
Assistant Federal Detention Trustee, Office of the Federal Detention 
Trustee.
[FR Doc. 07-2830 Filed 6-6-07; 8:45am]
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