[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 21 (Tuesday, February 1, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 5611-5612]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-1817]


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DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

Federal Bureau of Prisons


Notice of Availability of the Environmental Assessment for the 
Short Term Sentences Acquisition

AGENCY: U.S. Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Prisons.

ACTION: Public Comment on Environmental Assessment.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Prisons 
(BOP) announces the availability of the Environmental Assessment (EA) 
prepared for the proposed contract to secure additional inmate bed 
space for the BOP's growing inmate population.
    As part of an initiative known as the Criminal Alien Requirement, 
the BOP has identified a specific requirement to confine a population 
of approximately 3,000 low-security adult male inmates (with one year 
or less remaining to serve) that are primarily criminal aliens. The BOP 
is seeking to reduce prison overcrowding by requesting additional 
contract beds.
    In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 
1969, the Council of Environmental Quality Regulations (40 CFR parts 
1500-1508), and the Department of Justice procedures for implementing 
NEPA (28 CFR part 61), the BOP has prepared an EA to evaluate the 
proposed action of contracting with one or more private contractors to 
house approximately 3,000 federal, low-security, adult male, criminal 
aliens at one or more privately owned and operated correctional 
facility(s).
    The BOP's EA evaluates the potential environmental consequences of 
three action alternatives and the No Action Alternative. Natural, 
cultural, and socioeconomic resource impacts associated with the 
implementation of the proposed action at each of the proposed 
alternative locations were analyzed to determine how these resources 
may be affected by the proposed action.
    The alternatives considered in the EA include the use of the 
following privately-owned and operated facilities: Diamondback 
Correctional Center, Watonga, Oklahoma; Great Plains Correctional 
Facility, Hinton, Oklahoma; and Willacy County

[[Page 5612]]

Processing Center, Raymondville, Texas. Inmates housed in these 
facilities would be criminal aliens who have less than one year 
remaining to serve of their sentences.

Request For Comments

    The BOP invites your participation and is soliciting comments on 
the EA. The EA will be the subject of a 30-day comment period which 
begins January 28, 2011 and ends February 28, 2011. Comments concerning 
the EA and the proposed action must be received during this time to be 
assured consideration. All written comments received during this review 
period will be taken into consideration by the BOP. Copies of the EA 
are available for public viewing at: Watonga Public Library 301 N. 
Prouty, Watonga, OK; Norman Smith Memorial Library, 115 E. Main St., 
Hinton, OK; and Reber Memorial Library, 193 N. 4th St., Raymondville, 
Texas.
    The EA is available upon request. To request a copy of the EA, 
please contact: Richard A. Cohn, Chief, or Issac J. Gaston, Site 
Selection Specialist, Capacity Planning and Site Selection Branch, 
Federal Bureau of Prisons, 320 First Street, NW., Washington, DC 20534 
Tel: 202-514-6470, Fax: 202-616-6024/E-mail: [email protected] or 
[email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Richard A. Cohn, or Issac J. Gaston, 
Federal Bureau of Prisons.

    Dated: January 20, 2011.
Issac J. Gaston,
Site Specialist, Capacity Planning and Site Selection Branch.
[FR Doc. 2011-1817 Filed 1-31-11; 8:45 am]
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