The Alliance for Appalachia + 185 Organizations Oppose Legislation Fast-Tracking A New Prison in Eastern Kentucky

Both the Trump and Biden Administrations sought to defund the construction of FCI Letcher.

Washington, D.C. – Today, more than 185 organizations delivered a letter to Congress urging legislators t o remove language – Section 219 – in the FY24 House appropriations bill that fast-tracks the construction of a new federal prison in Letcher County, Kentucky, costing taxpayers more than $505 million dollars. Section 219 would also allow the prison to bypass the federal environmental review process and make the prison and its operations nearly immune from judicial oversight.

“Today, we are making it known that more than 185 organizations across the country oppose the construction of a new, toxic prison in Eastern Kentucky that would be constructed on top of a toxic former mining site. We also vehemently oppose Section 219, which would remove a vital, federally-mandated environmental review process and set an incredibly dangerous precedent for federal oversight in prisons, both in Kentucky and across the country,” said Norris Henderson, Executive Director of VOTE (Voice of the Experienced).

Section 219 explicitly instructs the Attorney General and the Bureau of Prisons to bypass the federally mandated environmental review process under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). Both the Trump and Biden Administrations have requested that the original $505 million funding for the prison be rescinded. Even top officials at the Department of Justice have publicly stated this new construction is unnecessary due to a declining federal prison population.

“Building a prison and incarcerating people on a toxic former mining site, with no idea what the long term ramifications will be, is not just a potential environmental disaster, but a human rights issue,” said Julia Finch, Sierra Club Kentucky’s Chapter Director. “Prison construction should never be exempted from the National Environmental Policy Act review process. We continue to be inspired by the resilience of local community leaders working to stop this prison even as they rebuild after the deadly and devastating floods of 2022, and who have been exploited by the fossil fuel industry. Congress is attempting to forgo proper checks and balance and cannot mandate federal regulators throw caution to the wind – environmental laws are more than mere suggestions and should be adhered to.”