We have some good news!!! We still have time to remove section 219 from teh House CJS Appropriations Bill. Thanks to thousands of individuals like you that have reached out to Congress about the Letcher Prison Project, Congresswoman Alma Adams (NC) recently submitted an amendment to stip § 219 from the House CJS Appropriations Bill. It had eleven co-sponsors from around the country. While the Amendment failed in the Rules Committee, because Congress has yet to pass an appropriations bill for FY24, we still have time to stop not only fast tracking the construction of this terrible project, but stopping its construction entirely.
PLEASE CONTACT YOUR CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION TODAY AND ASK REMOVE 219 FROM THE HOUSE CJS APPROPRIATIONS BILL and TO RESCIND THE FUNDING FOR THIS WASTEFUL PROJECT!
What Happened:
As a brief reminder, Section 219 of the House Commerce, Justice and Science (CJS) Appropriations Markup will fast track the construction of a 1,400-bed federal prison on a former mountaintop removal coal mine site in rural Eastern Kentucky and shield BOP from lawsuits by incarcerated people and correctional officers at the prison.
If Section 219 passes it will bypass the environmental review process by relying on an outdated environmental impact study from 2017; strip citizens of their rights to provide public comment; divests citizens of our right to seek judicial review of the proposed construction of an unneeded $500 million federal prison; and prevent people incarcerated at the new prison from enforcing their rights.
At a ticket of $506,000,000 and over $50,000,000 annually to operate, this proposed prison would sink Letcher County and US taxpayers into a lifelong burden of expense. And for what? Despite being home to federal prisons, Martin, Clay and McCreary counties remain “distressed” by Appalachian Regional Commission economic criteria. Prisons are not an economic solution and jobs at those prisons have not materialized in any meaningful way for local people.
We need you to continue to act in opposition to this prison! Join Us Today!