[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 134 (Thursday, July 14, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 42179-42180]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-14815]


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GENERAL SERVICES ADMINISTRATION

[Notice-PBS-2022-03; Docket No. 2022-0002; Sequence No. 17]


Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement 
(EIS) for the Expansion and Modernization of the Raul Hector Castro 
Land Port of Entry and Proposed Commercial Land Port of Entry in 
Douglas, Arizona

AGENCY: Public Buildings Service (PBS), General Services Administration 
(GSA).

ACTION: Notice of intent; announcement of meeting.

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to the requirements of the National Environmental 
Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), the Council on Environmental Quality 
Regulations, and the GSA Public Buildings Service NEPA Desk Guide, GSA 
is issuing this notice to advise the public that an Environmental 
Impact Statement (EIS) will be prepared to analyze potential 
environmental impacts from the expansion and modernization of the Raul 
Hector Castro (RHC) Land Port of Entry (LPOE) and construction of a new 
commercial LPOE in Douglas, Arizona to address traffic safety and 
hazard concerns resulting from space constraints, inefficient traffic 
flows, and increasing traffic demands.

DATES: Public Scoping--The Public Scoping Period will begin on July 
14th, 2022. Interested parties are encouraged to provide written 
comments regarding the scope of the EIS. Written comments must be 
received by August 22, 2022 (see ADDRESSES section for where to submit 
comments).
    Meeting Date--A public scoping meeting will be held on Thursday, 
August 11, 2022, from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. PDT. The meeting will be held in 
the Douglas Visitor Center (see ADDRESSES section for location 
address), where GSA will meet with governmental and public stakeholders 
to explain the project and obtain input on the scoping of the project. 
The meeting will be an informal open house, where visitors may come, 
receive information, and provide written comments.

ADDRESSES: Public Scoping Comments--You may send comments, identified 
by Notice PBS-2022-03, by one of the following methods:
     Email: [email protected]. Include Notice PBS-2022-03 in 
the subject line of the message.
     Mail: Attention: Osmahn Kadri, NEPA Project Manager, U.S. 
General Services Administration, c/o Potomac-Hudson Engineering, Inc., 
77 Upper Rock Circle, Suite 302, Rockville MD 20850.
    Meeting Location--A public scoping meeting will be held at the 
Douglas Visitor Center, 345 16th St, Douglas, AZ 85607.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Osmahn Kadri, 415-522-3617, 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    The Raul Hector Castro Land Port of Entry (RHC LPOE) is a full-
service, multi-modal port, where Customs and Border Protection (CBP) 
currently inspects commercially-owned vehicles (COVs), privately-owned 
vehicles (POVs), and pedestrians at the U.S.-Mexico border in Douglas, 
Arizona. The RHC LPOE has been operating since 1914 and construction of 
the current facility began in the 1930s. The existing Main Building and 
the Garage were built in 1933 and are listed on the National Register 
of Historic Places.
    The current facilities at the RHC LPOE no longer function 
adequately given the site constraints, steady increase in traffic, and 
outdated facilities and technologies. The interaction between COVs, 
POVs, and pedestrian traffic is also a concern at the RHC LPOE. 
Inadequate pathways and separations between traffic types cause safety 
and security issues for CBP officers and the general public. As 
downtown Douglas is located just north of the RHC LPOE, traffic 
congestion and trucks hauling hazardous materials through the city are 
also a concern in the community.
    To improve public and worker safety and to increase the capacity at 
the RHC LPOE, the proposed expansion and modernization would comprise 
of: (1) the construction of a new port facility dedicated to COVs; and 
(2) expanding and modernizing the existing RHC LPOE facilities to serve 
as a non-commercial facility for the POVs and pedestrians. GSA intends 
to prepare an EIS to analyze the potential environmental impacts 
resulting from the proposed construction of a new commercial LPOE and 
expansion and modernization of the RHC LPOE.
    The project would first involve the construction of a new 
commercial facility located approximately five miles west of the 
existing RHC LPOE facilities. Subsequently, expansion and modernization 
of the existing RHC LPOE facilities would begin and would require a 
multi-phase construction plan to ensure that operations are continuous 
and that safety and security of the RHC LPOE is maintained. The 
possible phasing during the expansion and modernization to the existing 
RHC LPOE includes:

[[Page 42180]]

     Phase 1.1: After a New Standalone Commercial Facility is 
built, transfer commercial operations to the new facility. Acquire land 
to north, vacate existing stores, and demolish vacated facilities 
associated with commercial activities.
     Phase 1.2: Build new Non-Commercial Inspection area, Main 
Building, Public Facing/Trusted Traveler Building, and Family Unit/
Unaccompanied Juvenile Processing Facility.
     Phase 2.1: Transfer all existing Non-Commercial Operations 
to new Non-Commercial Facilities. Transfer existing Historic Main 
Building to new Main Building. Demolish Non-Commercial Inspection Lanes 
and prepare existing port-owned Parking Lot for upgrades.
     Phase 2.2: Build additional Main Building Parking and 
Outbound Facilities. Upgrade Overflow Parking Lot as needed. Remodel, 
relocate, or demolish existing Historic Main Building and Garage.
     Phase 3.1: Transfer existing outbound operations to new 
Outbound Facilities. Demolish existing Outbound Lanes. If remodeled, 
occupy Historic Main Building and Garage.
     Phase 3.2: Improve existing outbound Pedestrian Walkway.

Alternatives Under Consideration

    The EIS will consider two ``action'' alternatives and one ``no 
action'' alternative. Alternative 1 consists of building a new 
Standalone Commercial Facility for COVs and expanding and modernizing 
the existing RHC LPOE as a non-commercial facility for POVs and 
pedestrians, as described in the above Phases. Alternative 2 includes 
expanding and modernizing the existing RHC LPOE only and continuing to 
utilize the LPOE for both commercial and non-commercial functions. Sub-
alternatives may be considered for each alternative with respect to the 
management of the historic structures located at the existing RHC LPOE.
    The ``no action'' alternative assumes that GSA would not expand and 
modernize the RHC LPOE or construct a new commercial LPOE and that 
operations would continue under current conditions.
    The EIS will address the potential environmental impacts of the 
proposed alternatives on environmental resources including aesthetics, 
air quality during construction and operation, geology and soils, 
hazards and hazardous materials, hydrology and water quality, cultural 
resources, biological resources, land use, noise during construction 
and operation, utilities, and traffic. The EIS will also address the 
socioeconomic effects of the project as well as impacts on 
Environmental Justice populations.

Scoping Process

    The views and comments of the public are necessary in helping to 
determine the scope and content of the environmental analysis. The 
scoping process will be accomplished through a public scoping meeting, 
direct mail correspondence to appropriate federal, state, and local 
agencies, and to private organizations and citizens who have previously 
expressed, or are known to have, an interest in the project.
    A public scoping meeting will be announced in the local newspaper, 
the Herald Review. Agencies and the public are encouraged to provide 
written comments regarding the scope of the EIS. See information 
provided above for dates, addresses, and contact information.

Russell Larson,
Director, Portfolio Management Division, Pacific Rim Region, Public 
Buildings Service.
[FR Doc. 2022-14815 Filed 7-13-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6820-YF-P