[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 211 (Friday, October 31, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 64835-64836]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-25513]


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DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE


Notice of Availability of an Environmental Assessment on a 
Proposal To Award a Contract for New Low Security Beds to One Private 
Contractor To House Approximately 2,000 Federal, Low-Security, Adult 
Male, Non-U.S. Citizen, Criminal Aliens at a Contractor-Owned, 
Contractor-Operated Correctional Facility Under the CAR 15, Requirement 
B Initiative

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

ACTION: Environmental Assessment.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Prisons 
(BOP) announces the availability of the Criminal Alien Requirement 15, 
Requirement B Environmental Assessment (EA) for the proposal to award 
one contract to house up to 2,000

[[Page 64836]]

federal, low-security, adult males, non-U.S. citizen, criminal aliens 
within one existing contractor-owned, contractor-operated facility.
    Background Information: Pursuant to Section 102, 42 U.S.C. 4332, of 
the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969, as amended, the 
Council on Environmental Quality Regulations for Implementing NEPA (40 
CFR parts 1500-1508), and the BOP Procedures for Implementing NEPA (28 
CFR part 61, Appendix A), the BOP prepared an Environmental Assessment 
(EA) to analyze the impacts of awarding one contract to house up to 
2,000 low-security, adult male, non-U.S. citizen, criminal aliens 
within one existing contractor-owned and contractor-operated 
correctional facility.
    It is anticipated that the number of inmates will continue to rise 
for several reasons. Federal court sentencing guidelines are resulting 
in longer terms of confinement for serious crimes. Moreover, there is 
an increase in immigration and offenders, along with a greater effort 
to combat organized crime and trafficking. As a result, existing BOP 
facilities are at capacity. In response, the BOP has focused on ways to 
reduce prison overcrowding by requesting additional contract beds for 
low security, adult male criminal aliens, expansion of current 
facilities, and building and operating new medium and high security 
facilities. The purpose of the project is to acquire additional bed 
space to address the need to reduce overcrowding in existing BOP 
facilities as a result of increases in convictions and sentence terms.
    The BOP requires flexibility in managing existing low-security bed 
space as well as the anticipated future needs for low-security bed 
space. Use of an existing contractor-owned and operated correctional 
facility provides the BOP the flexibility needed to meet population 
capacity needs in a timely manner, conform to federal law, and maintain 
fiscal responsibility while successfully meeting the mission of the 
BOP.
    The process to identify contracting opportunities for securing 
additional inmate bed space in support of the increasing needs of the 
BOP involved the BOP advertising for interested vendors to respond to 
the request for proposal (RFP) with options for meeting the 
requirements.
    Based on the responses to the solicitation the BOP had four 
potential alternatives. The solicitation RFP-PCC-0022 (CAR 15 
Requirement B) identified the evaluation criteria under which each 
offeror's proposal would be considered and evaluated. The non-price 
based evaluation criteria that consist of the following in descending 
order of importance:

<bullet> Past Performance
<bullet> Technical Proposal
<bullet> Environment
<bullet> Small Disadvantaged Business Participation

    Project Information:
    The proposed action is to award one contract to house up to 2,000 
federal low-security, adult male, non-U.S. citizen, criminal aliens at 
an existing contractor-owned and contractor-operated correctional 
facility. Under the Proposed Action, the selected contractor would be 
required to operate the facility in a manner consistent with the 
mission and requirements of the BOP. All inmate services would be 
developed in a manner that complies with the BOP's contract 
requirements, as well as applicable federal, state, and local laws and 
regulations. In addition, the facility would be within proximity, and 
have access to, ambulatory, fire and police protection services.
    The federal inmates assigned to this facility primarily would 
consist of inmates with sentences of 90 months or less remaining to be 
served. Inmates are anticipated to be federal, low-security, adult 
male, non-U.S. citizen, criminal aliens; however, the BOP may designate 
any inmate within its custody to serve their sentence in this facility.
    Four existing privately owned and operated correctional facilities, 
one in Minnesota, two in Oklahoma, and one in Ohio, met the evaluation 
criteria of the BOP's solicitation for CAR 15 Requirement B. Each of 
the following existing facilities has been evaluated in this EA. In 
addition, the No Action Alternative is evaluated to determine baseline 
conditions and comply with the provisions of NEPA.
    <bullet> Prairie Correctional Facility. Located in Appleton, 
Minnesota.
    <bullet> Northeast Ohio Correctional Center. Located in Youngstown, 
Ohio.
    <bullet> Great Plains Correctional Facility. Located in Hinton, 
Oklahoma.
    <bullet> Diamondback Correctional Facility. Located in Watonga, 
Oklahoma.
    No other facilities are under consideration by the BOP. Although 
the four alternatives have been evaluated within the EA, an 
environmentally preferred alternative has not been identified due to 
the pending contracting action.
    Based on the analysis presented in the EA, there would be no 
significant impacts on natural and cultural resources, socioeconomics, 
environmental justice, community facilities and services, 
transportation and traffic, infrastructure and utilities, noise, and 
air quality as a result of the implementation of the proposed action 
under Alternative 1, Alternative 2, Alternative 3, or Alternative 4. 
Therefore, the BOP has determined there would be no significant impacts 
associated with the implementation of the proposed action.

Availability of the Environmental Assessment

    The comment/review period will begin on October 31, 2014 and 
conclude on December 1, 2014. The EA and other information regarding 
the proposed action are available upon request by contacting: Thomas A. 
Webber, Chief, Capacity Planning and Construction Branch, Federal 
Bureau of Prisons, 320 First Street NW., Washington, DC 20534 
(Telephone: (202) 514-6470, Fax: (202) 616-6024, or Email: 
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#700407151212150230121f005e171f06"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="295d5e4c4b4b4c5b694b4659074e465f">[email protected]</span></a>).

    Dated: October 22, 2014.
Thomas A. Webber,
Chief, Capacity Planning and Construction Branch.
[FR Doc. 2014-25513 Filed 10-30-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4410-CW-P


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