Notice2024-14816
Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for the Nisqually Indian Tribe's Proposed Fee-To-Trust and Casino Project, City of Lacey, Thurston County, Washington
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
July 8, 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 Nisqually Indian Tribe (Tribe) proposed Fee-to-Trust and Casino Project in the City of Lacey, Thurston County, Washington for gaming and other purposes (Quiemuth Casino-Resort Property). 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 130 (Monday, July 8, 2024)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 130 (Monday, July 8, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 55975-55976]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2024-14816]
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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 Nisqually Indian Tribe's Proposed Fee-To-Trust and Casino Project,
City of Lacey, Thurston 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
Nisqually Indian Tribe (Tribe) proposed Fee-to-Trust and Casino Project
in the City of Lacey, Thurston County, Washington for gaming and other
purposes (Quiemuth Casino-Resort Property). 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 and online.
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, Nisqually Indian Tribe 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#770318151e161f591a1810160112051837151e1659101801"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="becad1dcd7dfd690d3d1d9dfc8dbccd1fedcd7df90d9d1c8">[email protected]</span></a>,
using ``NOI Comments, Nisqually Indian Tribe 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#44302b262d252c6a292b23253221362b04262d256a232b32"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="780c171a1119105615171f190e1d0a17381a1119561f170e">[email protected]</span></a>.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Nisqually Indian Tribe submitted a Fee-
to-Trust application to the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) requesting
the placement of approximately 74.2 acres of fee land in trust by the
United States upon which the Nisqually Indian Tribe would construct a
casino resort. The Tribe proposes to develop a casino-resort with an
event/multi-purpose center, cultural center/museum with Tribal lawn,
and associated infrastructure. The proposed fee-to-trust property is
located within the boundaries of the City of Lacey, Thurston County,
Washington. The proposed trust property is comprised of tax parcels
numbers 11810101100 and 11810101102. 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 Nisqually Tribe's proposed project,
including approval of the Nisqually Tribe's 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 person
listed in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section of this notice.
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.
[[Page 55976]]
Authority
This notice is published pursuant to section 1503.1 of the Council
of Environmental Quality Regulations (40 CFR part 1500 through 1508)
and section 46.305 of the Department of the Interior Regulations (43
CFR part 46), implementing the procedural requirements of the NEPA of
1969, as amended (42 U.S.C. 4371, et seq.), and is in the exercise of
authority delegated to the Assistant Secretary--Indian Affairs by 209
DM 8. This notice is also published in accordance with 40 CFR 93.155,
which provides reporting requirements for conformity determinations.
Bryan Newland,
Assistant Secretary--Indian Affairs.
[FR Doc. 2024-14816 Filed 7-5-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4337-15-P
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