Border Patrol Impact Mtg

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has decided to prepare four different environmental impact statements that will assess the effect of stepped-up patrols, surveillance, cargo scanning, enhanced communications and other activities in four different regions along the 5,500-mile Northern Border that separates the U.S. from Canada.  

The environmental studies, which will examine the effects of ports of entry, checkpoints, stations, water and power utilities, roads, hangers, boat ramps, docks and kennels, as well as communications and surveillance towers, will cover an area that extends approximately 100 miles south of the Northern Border (all of Whatcom County).

Public Scoping Process

This meeting initiates the public scoping process in preparation of the PEISs. All interested parties are invited to participate in the scoping process. CBP invites agencies, organizations, and the general public to provide input to this process of scoping environmental issues for consideration in the PEISs. CBP welcomes input regarding potential impacts of the uses of technologies, facilities, infrastructure, and personnel for border security described above in the Background section or other connected actions to be addressed in the PEISs. Comments may be in terms of broad areas or restricted to specific areas of concern.

The Border Patrol will hold a Public meeting on:

MONDAY, JULY 19, 2010   7:00pm – 9:00pm
Hampton Inn
3985 Bennett Drive
Bellingham, WA  98225

There are only 2 public meetings scheduled for the entire North West Region (the other in Naples, Idaho). We need your expert testimony to ensure that the Border Patrol receives the message that we care about our beautiful environment and that we do not want them to turn our Northern Borderlands into a toxic militarized zone dangerous to people and the earth creatures and plants that live among us.

Please go to the website they name below and get the necessary details to prepare.

“Because this effort is ‘programmatic’ in nature, the study will not seek to define effects for a specific or planned action,” says a CBP notice published in the Federal Register on July 6. “Instead, it will analyze the overall effects of activities supporting the homeland security mission of CBP.”

   The four separate studies, will focus on four separate geographic areas:  New England,  Great Lakes,  East of the Rocky Mountains,  West of the Rocky Mountains

CBP is encouraging members of the public to submit their comments on these four planned PEISs by August 5.

Further information is available from Jennifer Hass, of CBP’s office of administration, at 202-344-1929.

Information about these planned studies, and the upcoming public scoping meetings, can be found at the PEIS Web site: http://www.NorthernBorderPEIS.com.