Reopen the Environmental Review for the Letcher County Prison Now!

We cannot let the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) move forward with plans to construct a new federal prison in Letcher County, KY.

Since the project was approved, substantial new evidence has emerged raising serious concerns about environmental safety, public health, flood risk, endangered species habitat, emergency preparedness, and failures in the federal review process itself.

Eastern Kentucky communities continue to face devastating floods, mudslides, and severe storms that have already claimed lives, damaged infrastructure, and strained local emergency services.

At the same time, Tribal Nations with ancestral ties to the land — including the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians — were not properly consulted during the environmental review process, despite requirements under federal law. New landowners at the site have proposed an alternative vision for the property focused on Indigenous stewardship, ecological restoration, and sustainable economic development rather than prison construction.

We believe the people of Letcher County and Eastern Kentucky deserve investment in healthcare, education, infrastructure, flood recovery, environmental restoration, and community-led economic opportunities — not another prison built in a region already facing environmental and economic hardship.

Join us in demanding the BOP to reopen the environmental review process, conduct a new Environmental Impact Statement, and provide meaningful opportunities for public and Tribal input before any further action is taken.

Tell the BOP: No more mega-prisons!

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We, the undersigned, call on the Bureau of Prisons to immediately rescind its Record of Decision for the proposed federal prison project in Letcher County, Kentucky, reopen the environmental review process, and issue a Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement with a full new public comment period.

The proposed prison at the Roxana, KY site raises serious environmental, public safety, legal, cultural, and community concerns that have not been adequately addressed. Since the BOP issued its decision, substantial new information and changed circumstances have emerged that require renewed review under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and other federal laws.

We oppose moving forward with this project because:

The Bureau of Prisons failed to properly consult with the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians and other Tribal Nations with ancestral ties to the land, despite federal obligations under the National Historic Preservation Act.
New landowners at the proposed site have announced plans to restore the land for Indigenous stewardship, ecological restoration, and sustainable economic development — including the reintroduction of bison — instead of prison construction.
New expert analysis raises serious concerns about significant safety and environmental hazards — including flood risk — associated with building on a former mountaintop removal coal mine.
Updated wildlife surveys indicate the presence of endangered and threatened bat species at the site, contradicting outdated biological assessments relied upon by the BOP.
Letcher County and Eastern Kentucky continue to experience catastrophic flooding, mudslides, tornadoes, and severe weather events that threaten residents, infrastructure, and public safety.
Regional hospitals, emergency services, and weather forecasting systems are under increasing strain and in some cases facing closure or severe staffing shortages.
Building a massive federal prison in this remote and environmentally vulnerable area would harm local communities, incarcerated people, families, and the surrounding ecosystem while diverting resources away from sustainable economic investment and disaster recovery.

We believe the people of Eastern Kentucky deserve investment in healthcare, education, environmental restoration, infrastructure, flood resilience, and community-led economic development — not a dangerous and costly prison project.

We therefore demand that the Bureau of Prisons:

Rescind the current Record of Decision for the Letcher County prison project;
Prepare and release a Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement;
Reopen public hearings and public comment opportunities; and
Fully evaluate safer, more sustainable alternatives that do not place people and communities at risk.

The future of Letcher County should be determined through transparent public participation, environmental justice, and respect for community voices and Tribal sovereignty.