Notice2024-07049
Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation's Proposed Fee-to-Trust and Casino Project, Franklin County, Washington
Primary source
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Published
April 3, 2024
Issuing agencies
Interior DepartmentIndian Affairs Bureau
Abstract
This notice advises the public that the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), as lead agency, intends to gather information necessary for preparing an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) in connection with the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation (Colville Tribes) proposed Fee-to-Trust and Casino Project in the City of Pasco, Franklin County, Washington. This notice also opens public scoping to identify potential issues, concerns, and alternatives to be considered in the EIS.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 89 Issue 65 (Wednesday, April 3, 2024)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 65 (Wednesday, April 3, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 23041-23042]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2024-07049]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Indian Affairs
[245A2100DD/AAKC001030/A0A501010.999900]
Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for
the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation's Proposed Fee-to-
Trust and Casino Project, Franklin County, Washington
AGENCY: Bureau of Indian Affairs, Interior.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: This notice advises the public that the Bureau of Indian
Affairs (BIA), as lead agency, intends to gather information necessary
for preparing an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) pursuant to the
National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) in connection with the
Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation (Colville Tribes)
proposed Fee-to-Trust and Casino Project in the City of Pasco, Franklin
County, Washington. This notice also opens public scoping to identify
potential issues, concerns, and alternatives to be considered in the
EIS.
DATES: To ensure consideration during the development of the EIS,
written comments on the scope of the EIS should be sent as soon as
possible and no later than 30 days after publication of this Notice of
Intent (NOI) in the Federal Register. The time and date of the public
scoping meeting will be announced at least 15 days in advance through a
notice to be published in the local newspaper (The Tri-City Herald) and
online at <a href="http://www.colvilleeis.com">http://www.colvilleeis.com</a>.
ADDRESSES: You may mail written comments to Bryan Mercier, Regional
Director, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Northwest Region, 911 NE 11th
Avenue, Portland, Oregon 97232. Please include your name, return
address, and ``NOI Comments, Colville Tribes Fee-to-Trust and Casino
Project'' on the first page of your written comments. You may also
submit comments through email to Tobiah Mogavero, NEPA Coordinator,
Bureau of Indian Affairs, at: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#35415a575c545d1b585a52544350475a75575c541b525a43"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="04706b666d656c2a696b63657261766b44666d652a636b72">[email protected]</span></a>, using ``NOI
Comments, Colville Tribes Fee-to-Trust and Casino Project'' as the
subject of your email.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Tobiah Mogavero, NEPA Coordinator,
Bureau of Indian Affairs, Northwest Region, (435) 210-0509,
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#0e7a616c676f66206361696f786b7c614e6c676f20696178"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="a7d3c8c5cec6cf89cac8c0c6d1c2d5c8e7c5cec689c0c8d1">[email protected]</span></a>. Information is also available online at <a href="http://www.colvilleeis.com">http://www.colvilleeis.com</a>.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Colville Tribes submitted a Fee-to-Trust
application to the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) requesting the
placement of approximately 164.63 acres of fee land in trust by the
United States upon which the Colville Tribes would construct a casino
resort. The facility would include an approximately 184,200-square-foot
casino, 200-room hotel, an event center, eateries, and supporting
facilities. The proposed Fee-to-Trust property is located within the
boundaries of the City of Pasco, Franklin County, Washington. The
proposed trust property is comprised of one parcel (Assessor Parcel No.
113-130-068) bound by N. Capitol Avenue to the west, commercial and
industrial development to the west and south, and agricultural parcels
to the north and east. The purpose of the proposed action is to improve
the economic status of the Tribal government so that it can provide
comprehensive services and ensure the continued social and economic
independence and well-being of its Tribal members.
The proposed action encompasses the various federal approvals that
may be required to implement the Colville Tribes' proposed project,
including approval of the Colville Tribes' Fee-to-Trust application and
Secretarial Determination pursuant to section 20(b)(1)(A) of the Indian
Gaming Regulatory Act (25 U.S.C. 2719(b)(1)(A)). The EIS will identify
and evaluate issues related to these approvals and will also evaluate a
range of reasonable alternatives. Possible alternatives currently under
consideration include: (1) a reduced-intensity casino alternative, and
(2) an alternate-use (non-gaming) alternative. The range of
alternatives evaluated in the EIS may be expanded based on comments
received during the scoping process.
Areas of environmental concern preliminarily identified for
analysis in the EIS include land resources; water resources; air
quality; noise; biological resources; cultural/historic/archaeological
resources; resource use patterns; traffic and transportation; public
health and safety; hazardous materials and hazardous wastes; public
services and utilities; socioeconomics; environmental justice; visual
resources/aesthetics; and cumulative, indirect, and growth-inducing
effects. The range of issues to be addressed in the EIS may be expanded
or reduced based on comments received in response to this notice and at
the public scoping meeting. Additional information, including a map of
the proposed trust property, is available by contacting the
[[Page 23042]]
person listed in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section of this
notice or online at <a href="http://www.colvilleeis.com">http://www.colvilleeis.com</a>.
Public Comment Availability
Comments, including names and addresses of respondents, will be
included as part of the administrative record and Scoping Report for
the EIS. Before including your address, telephone number, email
address, or other personal identifying information in your comment, you
should be aware that your entire comment--including your personal
identifying information--may be made publicly available at any time.
While you can ask in your comment that your personal identifying
information be withheld from public review, the BIA cannot guarantee
that this will occur.
Authority
This notice is published in accordance with sections 1503.1 and
1506.6 of the Council on Environmental Quality regulations (40 CFR 1500
et seq.) and the Department of the Interior regulations (43 CFR part
46) implementing the procedural requirements of the NEPA (42 U.S.C.
4321 et seq.), and in accordance with the exercise of authority
delegated to the Assistant Secretary--Indian Affairs by part 209 of the
Department Manual.
Wizipan Garriott,
Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary--Indian Affairs, Exercising by
delegation the authority of the Assistant Secretary--Indian Affairs.
[FR Doc. 2024-07049 Filed 4-2-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4337-15-P
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