Record of Decision for Customs and Border Protection's Office of Border Patrol Operation Rio Grande in the Office of Border Patrol McAllen Sector, Texas

Résumé

This Record of Decision (ROD) document announces the final decision regarding the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Office of Border Patrol's Operation Rio Grande regarding potential environmental impacts resulting from Customs and Border Protection's (CBP), Office of Border Patrol (OBP), deployment of the lighting, roads, fences, mowing and boat ramp construction on the United States and Mexican border in the McAllen Sector of the OBP. The final EIS for Operation Rio Grande was made available for public review and was filed for public review with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, which published it in the Federal Register on June 17, 2004. This ROD will be incorporated into the final EIS after publication. The Operation Rio Grande has five project actions covered by this EIS: Lighting installation (permanent and portable), road improvement, fencing construction, boat ramp construction, and mowing. These actions are intended to reduce the influx of illegal entrants and contraband into the McAllen Sector, increase arrest of those not deterred; increase safety for operations by OBP agents; decrease response time; and decrease the risk from drowning as victims attem