Notice of Intent to Prepare a Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Immigration and Naturalization Service and Joint Task Force Six Activities Along the United States/Mexico Border

[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 167 (Friday, August 28, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 46070-46071]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-23185]


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DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

Immigration and Naturalization Service
[INS No. 1955-98]


Notice of Intent to Prepare a Supplemental Draft Environmental 
Impact Statement for the Immigration and Naturalization Service and 
Joint Task Force Six Activities Along the United States/Mexico Border

AGENCY: Immigration and Naturalization Service, Justice.

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare a Supplemental Programmatic 
Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS).

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SUMMARY:

Proposed Action

    The Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) will prepare a 
Supplemental Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS) for the 
INS and Joint Task Force 6 (JTF6) activities along the U.S. and Mexico 
border and Texas Gulf Coast. This document supplements a previous PEIS 
prepared in 1994 which addressed on-going and projected activities for 
a 5-year period. Typical activities undertaken by INS and JTF6 include, 
but are not limited to, design and construction of roads, fences, 
training facilities and administrative buildings, aerial photography 
interpretation, and transport of evidentiary materials. All JTF6 
activities are requested by various law enforcement agencies and must 
have a nexus to illegal drug interdictions.
    Environmental impacts resulting from continuation of these 
activities will be addressed as part of the supplemental PEIS. 
Consideration of past and future activities will be included as part of 
a cumulative impact analysis.
    Pursuant to the Council on Environmental Quality's regulations, 
public Scoping meetings will be held to inform interested parties of 
proposed actions and to solicit their comments.

Alternatives

    In developing the Supplemental PEIS, the options of (1) no action 
and continuation of the INS/JTF6 construction program, (2) reduction of 
select INS/JTF6 construction activities, and (3) restricting certain 
designs and/or site locations, will be fully examined. Other practical 
alternatives identified during the public Scoping process will also be 
addressed.

Scoping Process

    During the preparation of the Supplemental PEIS, there will be

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numerous opportunities for public involvement in order to determine the 
issues to be examined. Ten Scoping meetings will be held in Texas, New 
Mexico, Arizona and California. Notice of the Scoping meetings will be 
published in local newspapers prior to the meetings indicating the 
date, time, and location of each Scoping meeting.

PEIS Preparation

    Public notice will be given in the Federal Register concerning the 
availability of the PEIS for public review and comment.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Eric Verwers, Assistant Director, INS 
A/E Resource Center, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Fort Worth District, 
P.O. Box 17300, Fort Worth, Texas 76102-0300, Telephone: 817-978-0202, 
or Manuel Rodriguez, Chief, Policy and Planning Branch, Immigration and 
Naturalization Service, Facilities and Engineering Division, 425 I 
Street, NW., Washington, DC 20536, Room 2102, Telephone: 202-353-0383.

    Dated: August 24, 1998.
Doris Meissner,
Commissioner, Immigration and Naturalization Service.
[FR Doc. 98-23185 Filed 8-27-98; 8:45 am]
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