[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 184 (Monday, September 24, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 54276-54277]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-18829]



[[Page 54276]]

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DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

Bureau of Customs and Border Protection


Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement 
(EIS) and Request for Public Comments Concerning Proposed Construction 
and Operation of Tactical Infrastructure for the U.S. Customs and 
Border Protection, Office of Border Patrol Rio Grande Valley (Texas) 
Sector

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

ACTION: Notice of Intent to Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement 
(EIS) and Request for Public Comments.

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, 42 
U.S.C. 4321 et seq., (NEPA), U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) 
will prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to identify and 
assess the potential impacts associated with a proposal to construct 
and operate tactical infrastructure along approximately 70 miles of the 
international border between the United States and Mexico within the 
Office of Border Patrol's (OBP's) Rio Grande Valley Sector, Texas (the 
Proposed Action). The purpose of the Proposed Action is to further 
CBP's ability to gain effective control of the border by denying 
pedestrian and other access in high priority sections of OBP's Rio 
Grande Valley Sector. CBP is the decision-making agency for the 
Proposed Action.
    Notice is hereby given that the public scoping process has been 
initiated to prepare an EIS that will address the impacts and 
alternatives of the Proposed Action. The purpose of the scoping process 
is to solicit public comments regarding the range of issues, including 
potential impacts and alternatives that should be addressed in the EIS.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Visit http://www.BorderFenceNEPA.com 
or e-mail: [email protected]. Written requests for 
information may be submitted to: Charles McGregor, U.S. Army Corps of 
Engineers, Engineering Construction and Support Office, 819 Taylor St., 
Room 3A14, Fort Worth, Texas 76102; Phone: (817) 886-1585; and Fax: 
(817) 886-6404.
    Background: An EIS is being prepared in support of a proposal by 
OBP's Rio Grande Valley Sector for controlling and deterring the influx 
of illegal immigration and contraband into the United States. In order 
to secure our nation's borders, CBP is developing and deploying the 
most effective mix of proven technology, infrastructure, and increased 
personnel.
    The Rio Grande Valley Sector includes the area along the 
international border between the United States and Mexico from Rio 
Grande City, Texas, to the Gulf of Mexico. In that area, CBP is 
proposing to install and operate tactical infrastructure consisting of 
pedestrian fences, supporting patrol roads, lights, and other 
infrastructure along approximately 70 miles of the U.S./Mexico 
international border (the Proposed Action). The Proposed Action 
includes the installation of tactical infrastructure in 21 segments 
along the international border in the vicinity of Rio Grande City, 
Texas; McAllen, Texas; Mercedes, Texas; Harlingen, Texas; Brownsville, 
Texas; and Fort Brown, Texas. Individual segments might range from 
approximately 1 mile to more than 13 miles. For much of its length, the 
proposed infrastructure will follow the International Boundary and 
Water Commission levee, but some portions will also encroach on 
multiple privately-owned land parcels. The infrastructure would cross 
multiple land use types, including rural, agricultural, suburban, and 
urban land. It may also encroach on portions of the Lower Rio Grande 
Valley National Wildlife Refuge and Texas state parks in the Rio Grande 
Valley.
    Potential alternatives for the environmental impacts analysis will 
consider location, construction, and operation of tactical 
infrastructure. Alternatives must meet the need to gain effective 
control of our nation's borders, as well as essential technical, 
engineering, and economic threshold requirements to ensure that a 
proposed action is environmentally sound, economically viable, and 
meets all applicable laws and regulations.
    The EIS will comply with the National Environmental Policy Act of 
1969 (NEPA), the Council on Environmental Quality regulations in 40 CFR 
Parts 1500-1508, and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Management 
Directive 5100.1 (Environmental Planning Program).
    Consistent with 40 CFR 1508.28, the EIS will analyze the site-
specific environmental impacts of the Proposed Action, which were 
broadly described in two previous programmatic EISs prepared by the 
former U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) (which now 
fall under the responsibility of CBP), Department of Defense, and Joint 
Task Force 6 (JTF-6). The Programmatic EIS for JTF-6 Activities Along 
the U.S./Mexico Border, August 1994, and its supplementing document, 
Supplemental Programmatic EIS for INS and JTF-6 Activities, June 2001, 
were prepared to address the cumulative effects of past and reasonably 
foreseeable projects undertaken by JTF-6 for numerous law enforcement 
agencies within the four southwestern states (California, Arizona, New 
Mexico, and Texas). These documents can be obtained from the U.S. Army 
Corps of Engineers, Fort Worth District, Engineering Construction and 
Support Office Web site, at https://ecso.swf.usace.army.mil; by sending 
an e-mail request to [email protected]; or by 
mailing a request to Charles McGregor, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, 
Engineering Construction and Support Office, 819 Taylor St., Room 3A14, 
Fort Worth, Texas 76102.
    Public Participation: Pursuant to the Council on Environmental 
Quality's regulations, CBP invites public participation in the NEPA 
process. This notice requests public participation in the scoping 
process, establishes a public comment period, and provides information 
on how to participate.
    Public scoping is an open process for determining the scope of the 
EIS and identifying significant issues related to the Proposed Action. 
Anyone wishing to provide comments, suggestions, or relevant 
information on the Proposed Action may do so as follows:
    You may submit comments to CBP by contacting SBInet, Tactical 
Infrastructure Program Office. To avoid duplication, please use only 
one of the following methods:
    (a) Electronically through the Web site at: http://www.BorderFenceNEPA.com;
    (b) By e-mail to: [email protected];
    (c) By mail to: Rio Grande Valley PF-225 EIS, c/o e2M, 2751 
Prosperity Avenue, Suite 200, Fairfax, Virginia 22031; or
    (d) By fax to: (757) 282-7697.
    Comments and related material must reach CBP by October 15, 2007. 
CBP will consider all comments and material received during the NOI 
comment period. If you submit a comment, please include your name and 
address, and identify your comments as related to the Rio Grande Valley 
Sector EIS. Comments received after October 15, 2007 will receive 
responses following the publication of the draft EIS.
    This scoping period is not the only opportunity you will have to 
comment. A draft EIS will be prepared, and prior to the development of 
a final EIS, CBP will release the draft EIS for public

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review. At that time, a Notice of Availability (NOA) will be published 
in the Federal Register, the Brownsville Herald (Brownsville, Texas), 
and The Monitor (McAllen, Texas). The NOA will announce the 
availability of the draft EIS, how to obtain a copy, and the dates, 
times, and places of any associated public informational meetings.

     Dated: September 19, 2007.
Eugene H. Schied,
Assistant Commissioner, Office of Finance.
[FR Doc. E7-18829 Filed 9-21-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 9111-14-P