CBP to Issue Single Draft PEIS on U.S.-Canada Border Security
U.S. Customs and Border Protection has announced that it now intends to prepare a single Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS) for the Northern Border between the U.S. and Canada, after conducting a public scoping process earlier this year.
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PEISs for Four Regions Had Originally Been Planned
In July 2010, CBP issued a notice that it intended to prepare four PEISs to analyze the environmental effects of current and potential future CBP border security activities along the Northern Border between the U.S. and Canada, each covering a different region: New England, the Great Lakes, and the regions east and west of the Rocky Mountains. (See ITT's Online Archives or 07/02/10 news, 10070233, for BP summary.)
The notice also announced and initiated the public scoping process to gather information from the public, in which CBP solicited written comments and held 11 public scoping meetings in locations near the Northern Border in order to obtain input concerning the range of environmental considerations for inclusion within the PEISs. (The scoping period concluded on August 5, 2010.)
CBP Determined to Develop One PEIS due to Input from Scoping Process
As a result of input received during the scoping process, CBP has decided to develop one PEIS covering the entire Northern Border, rather than four separate, regional PEISs. Through this refocused approach, CBP will further clarify the proposed action, alternatives, and potential impacts across the four previously identified regions. The overall anticipated area of study, extending approximately 100 miles south of the Northern Border, remains the same.
A draft PEIS will be made available to the public for review and comment through a Federal Register notice. After a public comment period, CBP will complete a final PEIS.
CBP contact - Jennifer Hass (202) 344-1929
(FR Pub 11/09/10)