WHITESBURG, Ky. – U.S. Rep. Harold “Hal” Rogers (KY-05) released the following statement about the Bureau of Prisons’ (BOP) revised plan to build a correctional facility in Letcher County. The BOP held a public meeting in Whitesburg on Thursday evening after releasing a recent notice of intent to prepare a Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Proposed Federal Correctional Institution and Federal Prison Camp in Letcher County.

“I am pleased that the BOP is revisiting construction options for a modernized and efficient facility in Letcher County. I have worked to secure and protect funding for this project since 2006, and with more than 300 jobs on the line, it’s a battle worth fighting in a region where jobs are desperately needed.

“From day one, the Letcher County Planning Commission has advocated for this project, because we have seen the positive economic impact that federal correctional institutions have had in Clay, Martin and McCreary counties, boosting the tax base and strengthening our local workforce.

“The BOP has updated the scope of the project to address overcrowding and modernization, and I will continue to support their efforts through my work in Congress.”

Congressman Rogers secured approximately $500 million in federal funding in the fiscal 2016 and 2017 appropriations bills for the Bureau of Prisons to construct a correctional facility in Letcher County. The funding is still available in the Bureau of Prisons’ budget for construction to address modernization needs and overcrowding.

For more information about Congressman Rogers' work in Washington and at home in Kentucky’s Fifth Congressional District, visit halrogers.house.gov.

Click here to read BOP’s public notice: https://www.proposed-fci-letchercountyky.com/_files/ugd/1be27f_c0c088342794480389476d616f3d6e20.pdf