[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 241 (Thursday, December 15, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 90862-90863]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-30187]
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DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY
[Docket No. DHS-2016-0077]
Supplemental Programmatic Environmental Assessment (SPEA) for the
Proposed Establishment and Operations of the Office of Biometric
Identity Management and the Homeland Advanced Biometric Technology
(HART)
AGENCY: National Protection and Programs Directorate, DHS.
ACTION: 30-day notice of availability of public review of a
Supplemental Programmatic Environmental Assessment.
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SUMMARY: The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), National Protection
and Programs Directorate (NPPD), Office of Biometric Identity
Management (OBIM) has completed a Draft Supplemental Programmatic
Environmental Assessment (SPEA) to assess the impacts resulting from
the replacement of the existing Automated Biometric Identification
System (IDENT) in order to meet obligations pertaining to expanded
biometric service obligations.
IDENT was developed in the 1990s by the Immigration and
Naturalization Service as a pilot project. As DHS demands for biometric
identity services grew and evolved, IDENT expanded both its customer
base and services provided to those customers by retrofitting
functionalities to its original pilot project foundation to meet urgent
mission needs. The system has progressed from supporting one usage
scenario and one stakeholder in 1994 to a multiplicity of business
processes, services, and interfaces required to meet the needs of a
variety of stakeholders. In 2003 the former United States Visitor and
Immigrant Status Indicator Technology (US-VISIT) Program was designated
as the DHS provider for biometric and associated biographic identity
screening and analysis services.
The primary mission of the former US-VISIT program was to serve as
a repository of collected information on the unique identity of
travelers and to collect, maintain, and share information related to
entry, exit, and status events of foreign nationals in order to enhance
national security, facilitate legitimate trade and travel, and ensure
the integrity of our immigration system, while deploying the program in
accordance with existing privacy laws and policies. This mission was
accomplished through the deployment of discrete capabilities through
two systems: IDENT and the Arrival and Departure Information System
(ADIS).
In 2013 OBIM assumed cross-cutting responsibility for DHS biometric
identity services from the former US-VISIT Program. OBIM operates and
maintains IDENT, and matches, stores, analyzes, and shares biometric
data to provide more accurate and high assurance biometric identity
information and analysis. IDENT, with its repository of biometrics and
associated biographic data, is used by its customers for biometric
identity verification and determination. Current IDENT customers
include DHS components such as U.S. Citizenship and Immigration
Services, U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, U.S.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Transportation Security
Administration, and various elements of DHS Headquarters; the
Intelligence Community; other Federal agencies including the
Departments of Justice, State, and Defense; State and local law
enforcement; and international partners. OBIM needs HART to replace the
22-year-old legacy IDENT system to ensure continued fulfillment of
evolving customer and mission needs. The redesign and development of
the system will address the baseline and current gaps including
capacity, increased security and privacy protections, interoperability,
unsustainable costs, and performance and availability. Support of the
system for additional biometric identity modalities beyond fingerprints
will address customer needs for alternative modalities, provide options
for non-contact biometric data collection, improve performance, and
increase interoperability with customers and partners that support
multiple biometric modalities.
For the Proposed Action, OBIM would develop and implement a
solution to address increasing customer demand for biometric services
in addition to providing technological advances, more efficient
processing, and a flexible and a scalable platform to meet DHS's mid-
and long-term identity needs. Several project alternatives explored in
the SPEA were: (1) No Action; (2) Enhanced Baseline with Transaction
Manager Replacement Alternative; (3) Data Driven Modular Alternative;
and (4) Cloud Based and Managed Service. In reviewing the alternatives,
OBIM's objective was to determine whether to prepare a ``Finding of No
Significant Impact'' (FONSI) or an ``Environmental Impact Statement''
(EIS). With the No Action Alternative, minor indirect effects may occur
with respect to noise and air quality from the slowing of services at
customer locations. With Alternatives 2, 3, or 4, minor impacts are
anticipated with respect to energy use. With any of these alternatives,
OBIM will have an increase in capacity and scope of services which may
increase energy use. However, it is also anticipated that the proposed
improvements will increase efficiencies in the administration and use
of OBIM services with all of the action alternatives. Therefore, energy
impacts are expected to be minimal. For implementation of Alternative 4
specifically, managed service may be hosted in the existing DHS data
centers or other federally approved sites. For the No Action
Alternative and Alternative 4, potential changes to facilities or
personnel may have some minimal effects, particularly with the
potential for temporary construction. However, more specific analysis
is not possible at this programmatic level of assessment, and would
have to be performed with site-specific environmental analysis.
DATES: Comments are encouraged and will be accepted until thirty (30)
days after the date of this notice.
[[Page 90863]]
This process is conducted in accordance with sec. 102 of the
National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969, as implemented by the
regulations promulgated by the President's Council on Environmental
Quality (CEQ; 40 CFR parts 1500-1508) and the U.S. Department of
Homeland Security (DHS) NEPA implementing procedures, DHS Directive
023-01, Environmental Planning Program.
ADDRESSES: Public comments are encouraged and can be made through
written communication sent through electronic mail at:
[email protected], or the postal system to the NPPD
Environmental and Energy Program, 245 Murray Lane, Mail Stop 0380, Room
608-D, Washington, DC 20528.
Use the following subject when writing in: Draft SPEA Proposed
Establishment and Operations of OBIM and the HART. Public input
submitted will be discussed and considered with respect to conclusions
of this SPEA.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: NPPD Environmental and Energy Program:
[email protected]. When inquiring about this notice, please
use the following in the Subject Line: Draft SPEA Proposed
Establishment and Operations of OBIM and the HART.
Comments on this Draft SPEA are also being solicited through a
notice on the DHS NEPA Web site at: https://www.dhs.gov/national-environmental-policy-act.
Dated: December 6, 2016.
David Grauel,
HART Program Manager, Office of Biometric Identity Management, National
Protection and Programs Directorate.
[FR Doc. 2016-30187 Filed 12-14-16; 8:45 am]
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