Notice of Intent To Prepare a Draft Supplemental Final Environmental Impact Statement
| Published date | 30 June 2020 |
| Citation | 85 FR 39212 |
| Record Number | 2020-14216 |
| Section | Notices |
| Court | Federal Bureau Of Prisons,Justice Department,Prisons Bureau |
Federal Register, Volume 85 Issue 126 (Tuesday, June 30, 2020)
[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 126 (Tuesday, June 30, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 39212-39213]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-14216]
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DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
Federal Bureau of Prisons
Notice of Intent To Prepare a Draft Supplemental Final
Environmental Impact Statement
AGENCY: U.S. Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Prisons.
ACTION: Notice of Intent to Prepare a Draft Supplemental Final
Environmental Impact Statement.
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SUMMARY: Notice of Intent to Prepare a Draft Supplemental Final
Environmental Impact Statement (DSFEIS) for development of a new
Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) and Federal Prison Camp (FPC) by
the U.S. Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Prisons. Under
consideration for development are vacant areas of the property
comprising the United States Penitentiary (USP) in Leavenworth, Kansas.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Questions concerning the proposed
action and the DSFEIS may be directed to Kimberly S. Hudson, COR, Site
Selection Specialist, Construction and Environmental Review Branch,
Federal Bureau of Prisons, 320 First Street NW, Room 901-5, Washington,
DC 20534, Telephone: 202-616-2574/Facsimile: 202-260-0702/Email:
[email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
The Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) is responsible for carrying out
judgments of the federal courts whenever a period of confinement is
ordered. Its mission is to protect society by confining offenders in
the controlled environments of prison 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.
Pursuant to Section 102, 42 U.S.C. 4332, of the National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969, as amended and the Council on
Environmental Quality Regulations (40 CFR parts 1500-1508), a Notice of
Intent to Prepare a
[[Page 39213]]
Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for development of a new
FCI and FPC was published in the Federal Register on December 29, 2010,
(Volume 75, Number 249). Following publication of the DEIS on November
18, 2011, a public hearing was held on December 11, 2011, in
Leavenworth, Kansas with the public comment period concluding on
January 2, 2012. Publication of the FEIS occurred on April 10, 2015
with the public comment period lasting until May 15, 2015. A decision
whether to proceed with the proposed action and if so, where, was
delayed and a Record of Decision to be issued by the Director of the
BOP, pursuant to the requirements of NEPA and U.S. Department of
Justice regulations, was not adopted.
The BOP is resuming the NEPA process with the intent of preparing a
DSFEIS to provide current information about the proposed project, the
purpose and need for proceeding with developing a new FCI and FPC in
Leavenworth, Kansas, and to provide the public, elected and appointed
officials, regulatory agencies, and others the opportunity to voice
their interests and provide comments concerning the proposed action.
Proposed Action
To accommodate a portion of the federal inmate population, the BOP
proposes to develop a new FCI and FPC within undeveloped areas
comprising the USP property in Leavenworth, Kansas. The proposed FCI
would be designed to house approximately 1,152 medium-security male
inmates and the FPC would be designed to house approximately 256
minimum-security male inmates for a total population of approximately
1,408 inmates. The DSFEIS, to be prepared by the BOP, will analyze the
potential impacts of new correctional facility construction and
operation.
Among the objectives for developing the proposed FCI and FPC is to
meet the on-going need for modern and secure correctional facilities
and infrastructure, as well as to address an identified need for a new
FCI and FPC in Leavenworth. With increasingly aged and outdated federal
correctional facilities, the BOP is continuously working to improve the
system's infrastructure through modernization of existing facilities
when possible and construction of new institutions when necessary. As
an example, USP Leavenworth was one of three first-generation federal
prisons constructed in the early 1900s and continues in operation today
while other operating federal correctional facilities were constructed
over 50 years ago. Hence, development of a new FCI and FPC in
Leavenworth is among the BOP's priority projects.
Once developed, the new FCI and FPC would improve living and
working conditions for inmates and staff and be an advancement over
conditions in many current BOP institutions. Improving living and
working conditions has been shown to reduce the levels of stress and
depression among inmates and staff, resulting in an overall positive
effect on institution operation, safety, and security.
Development of a new FCI and FPC in Leavenworth will ensure that
the federal criminal justice system in general, and the BOP in
particular, continues to function in a quality manner while addressing
the need for modern, secure, efficient and cost-effective institutions.
Doing so will also allow the BOP to continue to accomplish its mission
to uphold justice and public safety, meet the needs of current and
future federal inmate populations, and provide for the continued safety
and security of inmates, staff and the public.
The Process
The process of evaluating the potential environmental impacts
associated with federal correctional facility development and operation
involves the analysis of many factors and conditions including, but not
limited to: Topography, geology, soils, hydrology, biological
resources, cultural resources, hazardous materials, visual and
aesthetic features, fiscal considerations, population/employment/
housing characteristics, community services and facilities, land uses,
utility services, transportation systems, meteorological conditions,
air quality and noise.
Alternatives
In developing the DEIS in 2011 and FEIS in 2015, the No Action
alternative, other actions considered and eliminated, and alternative
development areas for the proposed FCI and FPC were thoroughly
examined. Alternative development areas examined at that time consisted
of BOP-owned property contiguous to the existing USP located in
Leavenworth, Kansas. All alternatives considered then will be fully and
thoroughly re-examined in the DSFEIS.
Scoping Process
Prior to preparation of the DEIS in 2011, opportunities for public
involvement were provided in order to determine the issues to be
examined in the DEIS. The scoping process began with a Scoping Meeting
on January 20, 2011, in Leavenworth, Kansas with the meeting location,
date, and time well publicized and arranged to allow for members of the
public, as well as representatives of government agencies,
organizations, and interest groups to attend. The meeting was held to
allow interested persons to formally express their views on the scope
and significant issues to be studied as part of the DEIS process. The
meeting also provided for timely public comments and understanding of
federal plans and programs with possible environmental consequences as
required by NEPA and the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, as
amended.
Following publication of the DEIS on November 18, 2011, a public
hearing was held on December 11, 2011, in Leavenworth, Kansas with the
hearing location, date, and time well publicized and arranged to allow
for maximum public involvement and attendance. The hearing was held to
share project-related information and to allow interested persons to
offer comments and questions concerning the proposed action and the
findings of the DEIS as stipulated by NEPA. Public comments were
received by the BOP until the end of the comment period on January 2,
2012.
On April 10, 2015, the BOP published a FEIS with the public review
and comment period lasting until May 15, 2015. A decision on whether to
proceed with the proposed action and if so, where, was delayed and a
Record of Decision was not adopted. With the passage of time, the BOP
is resuming the NEPA process with the intent of preparing a DSFEIS to
provide current information about the proposed project, the purpose and
need for proceeding with developing a new FCI and FPC in Leavenworth,
Kansas, and to provide the public, elected and appointed officials,
regulatory agencies, and others the opportunity to voice their
interests and provide comments concerning the proposed action. In
resuming the NEPA process, the BOP distributed a letter on June 15,
2020 to interested parties informing them that preparation of the
DSFEIS would soon commence.
Availability of DSFEIS
Public notice will be given concerning the availability of the
DSFEIS for public review and comment along with plans for a public
hearing following DSFEIS publication.
Dated: June 26, 2020.
Kimberly S. Hudson,
COR, Site Selection Specialist, Construction and Environmental Review
Branch.
[FR Doc. 2020-14216 Filed 6-29-20; 8:45 am]
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