[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 121 (Monday, June 25, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 34710-34711]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-12274]


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DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

U.S. Customs and Border Protection

[USCBP-2007-0060]


Notice of Availability of a Draft Programmatic Environmental 
Assessment on the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative at Land and Sea 
Ports of Entry

AGENCY: U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Department of Homeland 
Security.

ACTION: Notice of Availability.

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SUMMARY: This Notice of Availability announces that a draft 
Programmatic Environmental Assessment (PEA) for the Western Hemisphere 
Travel Initiative (WHTI) at land and sea ports of entry is available 
for public review and comment. The draft PEA documents a review of the 
potential environmental impacts from changes to technology and 
operations to meet the requirements for standardized, secure travel 
documents under WHTI.

DATES: The draft PEA will be available for public review and comment 
for a period of 30 days beginning on the date this document is 
published in the Federal Register. Copies of the draft PEA may be 
obtained by telephone request (202-344-1589) or by accessing the 
following Internet addresses: http://www.cbp.gov/travel and http://www.regulations.gov. Comments regarding the draft PEA may be submitted 
as set forth in the ADDRESSES section of this document.

ADDRESSES: Copies of the draft PEA may be obtained from U.S. Customs 
and Border Protection (CBP) through the Internet at http://www.cbp.gov/travel and http://www.regulations.gov or by writing to: CBP, 1300 
Pennsylvania Avenue, NW., Room 5.4C, Attn: WHTI Environmental 
Assessment, Washington, DC 20229.
    You may submit comments on the draft PEA, by one of the following 
methods:
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov. 
Follow the instructions for submitting comments.
     Mail: Comments by mail are to be addressed to U.S. Customs 
and Border Protection, 1300 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW., Room 5.4C, Attn: 
WHTI Environmental Assessment, Washington, DC 20229.
    Instructions: All submissions must include the agency name and 
draft PEA docket number ``USCBP-2007-0060.'' All comments will be 
posted without change to http://www.regulations.gov, including any 
personal information sent with each comment.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Patrick Howard, U.S. Customs and 
Border Protection, 1300 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW., Room 5.4C, 
Washington, DC 20229, 202-344-1589, e-mail address: 
[email protected], or Pat Sobol, U.S. Customs and 
Border Protection, 1300 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW., Room 5.4C, 
Washington, DC 20229, 202-344-1381, e-mail address: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background

The Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative

    The Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 
(IRTPA), as amended, provides that upon full implementation, U.S. 
citizens and Bermudian, Canadian and Mexican citizens and nationals 
would be required to present a passport or such alternative documents 
as the Secretary of Homeland Security designates as satisfactorily 
establishing identity and citizenship upon entering the United States. 
In a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) to be published in the 
Federal Register, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and 
Department of State (DOS) describe the second phase of a joint plan, 
known as the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI), to implement 
these new requirements. The NPRM proposes the specific documents that 
U.S. citizens and nonimmigrant aliens from Canada, Bermuda, and Mexico 
would be required to present when entering the United States at sea and 
land ports-of-entry from Western Hemisphere countries.
    DHS and CBP have analyzed the potential impacts on the human 
environment of several alternate ways of implementing WHTI based on 
technological and operational considerations as part of the decision-
making process regarding the implementation of WHTI at sea and land 
ports of entry. The impact analysis in the draft Programmatic 
Environmental Assessment (PEA), as explained in the report, focuses 
primarily on the effects of implementing WHTI at land ports of entry 
because the land environment is the most sensitive to the proposed 
document and technological changes associated with implementation of 
WHTI.\1\
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    \1\ Changes to processing travelers at sea ports of entry would 
happen entirely within existing buildings and other infrastructure, 
so no environmental impacts are anticipated.

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[[Page 34711]]

    Four technological and operational alternatives are analyzed in the 
PEA that meet the requirements to define and process secure, 
standardized travel documents under WHTI. The four alternatives are: 
(1) Maintaining the status quo by continuing current processes for 
assessing individuals with multiple documents; (2) implementing 
standardized features and limiting the number of documents accepted for 
entry into the United States; (3) defining and enhancing a limited 
number of standardized acceptable documents with machine readable zone 
(MRZ) technology; and/or (4) defining and enhancing a limited number of 
standardized acceptable documents with MRZ and radio-frequency 
identification (RFID) technologies at the top volume land ports of 
entry. The potential impacts evaluated include air quality, noise, and 
environmental justice, among others.

Next Steps

    This process is being conducted pursuant to the National 
Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), the Council on Environmental 
Quality (CEQ) Regulations for Implementing the NEPA (40 CFR parts 1500-
1508), and Department of Homeland Security Management Directive 5100.1, 
Environmental Planning Program of April 19, 2006.
    Substantive comments concerning environmental impacts received from 
the public and agencies during the comment period will be evaluated to 
determine whether further environmental impact review is needed in 
order to publish the final PEA. Should CBP determine that the 
implementation of the proposed action or alternatives would not have a 
significant impact on the environment, it will prepare a Finding of No 
Significant Impact (FONSI). The FONSI would be published in the Federal 
Register and in newspapers of general circulation in border areas along 
the border with both Canada and Mexico.
    Should CBP determine that significant environmental impacts exist 
due to the plan, CBP would proceed with preparation of an Environmental 
Impact Statement (EIS).

    Dated: June 19, 2007.
Thomas S. Winkowski,
Acting Assistant Commissioner, Office of Field Operations.
 [FR Doc. E7-12274 Filed 6-22-07; 8:45 am]
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