Final Environmental Impact Statement for the Cloverdale Rancheria of Pomo Indians' Proposed 65-Acre Fee-to-Trust Acquisition and Resort Casino Project, Sonoma County, California, 21949-21950 [2014-08514]
Download as PDF
mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 75 / Friday, April 18, 2014 / Notices
Sacramento, California 95825.
Telephone: (916) 978–6051.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Los
ˇ
Coyotes Band of Cahuilla and Cupeno
Indians has requested that the BIA take
into trust 23 acres of land on which the
Tribe proposes to construct a gaming
facility, hotel, parking areas and other
facilities. The approximately 23-acre
project site is located within the
incorporated boundaries of the City of
Barstow, San Bernardino County,
California, just east of Interstate 15.
Because this request is for land to be
taken into trust for gaming purposes, the
Los Coyotes Band of Cahuilla and
ˇ
Cupeno Indians has submitted an
application under the Indian
Reorganization Act (25 U.S.C. 465 et
seq. as implemented in 25 CFR part 151)
and seeks a determination of gaming
eligibility under the Indian Gaming
Regulatory Act (25 U.S.C. 2719 et seq.
as implemented in 25 CFR part 292).
The FEIS supports both actions.
The proposed project includes the
development of a casino with
approximately 57,070 square feet of
gaming floor. Associated facilities
would include food and beverage
services, retail space, banquet/meeting
space, and administration space. Food
and beverage facilities would include
one full service restaurant, a ‘‘Drive-in’’
restaurant, a food court with four
venues, a coffee shop, three service bars,
and a lounge. The hotel would have
approximately 100 rooms and a full
service restaurant. Both the gaming
facility and the hotel would be open 24
hours a day, seven days a week. A total
of 1,405 parking spaces would be
provided.
The following alternatives are
considered in the FEIS: (A) Barstow
casino and hotel complex project, (B)
Barstow Reduced Casino Hotel Complex
(Proposed Project described above), (C)
a reduced intensity casino at a 19-acre
site within the Los Coyotes Reservation,
(D) a non-gaming alternative,
specifically the development of a
campground facility within the Los
Coyotes Reservation, and (E) a no-action
alternative. Alternative B has been
identified as the Tribe’s Preferred
Alternative, as discussed in the FEIS.
The information and analysis contained
in the EIS, as well as its evaluation and
assessment of the Tribe’s Preferred
Alternative, are intended to assist the
Department of the Interior (Department)
in its review of the issues presented in
the fee-to-trust application. The
Preferred Alternative does not
necessarily reflect the Department’s
final decision because the Department
must further evaluate all of the criteria
VerDate Mar<15>2010
16:54 Apr 17, 2014
Jkt 232001
listed in 25 CFR part 151 and 25 CFR
part 292. The Department’s
consideration and analysis of the
applicable regulations may lead to a
final decision that selects an alternative
other than the Preferred Alternative,
including no action, or a variant of the
Preferred or another of the alternatives
analyzed in the FEIS.
Environmental issues addressed in
the FEIS include land resources, water
resources, air quality, biological
resources, cultural resources,
socioeconomic conditions,
environmental justice, transportation,
land use, agriculture, public services,
noise, hazardous materials, visual
resources, cumulative effects, indirect
effects, growth inducing effects and
mitigation measures.
A public scoping meeting for the DEIS
was held by the BIA on May 4, 2006 at
the Barstow Community College
Gymnasium in Barstow, California. A
Notice of Availability for the Draft EIS
was published in the Federal Register
on June 28, 2011 (76 FR 38677), and
announced a 45 day review period
ending on September 14, 2011. The BIA
held a public hearing on the Draft EIS
on July 27, 2011 in Barstow, California.
Directions for Submitting Comments:
Please include your name, return
address, and the caption, ‘‘FEIS
Comments, Los Coyotes Band of
ˇ
Cahuilla and Cupeno Indians Fee-toTrust and Casino-Hotel Project,’’ on the
first page of your written comments.
Locations Where the FEIS is Available
for Review: The FEIS will be available
for review at the San Bernardino County
Public Library- Barstow Branch, 304
East Buena Vista, Barstow, CA 92311;
and the San Diego County Public
Library-Borrego Springs, 587 Palm
Canyon, #125, Borrego Springs, CA
92004. General information for the San
Bernardino County Public Library—
Barstow Branch can be obtained by
calling (760) 256–4850; information for
the San Diego County Public LibraryBorrego Springs can be obtained by
calling (760) 767–5761. The FEIS is also
available on the following Web site:
https://www.loscoyoteseis.com.
To obtain a compact disk copy of the
FEIS, please provide your name and
address in writing to John Rydzik, Chief,
Division of Environmental Cultural
Resources Management and Safety
listed in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
CONTACT section of this notice or by
email to john.rydzik@bia.gov. Individual
paper copies of the FEIS can also be
provided upon payment of applicable
printing expenses by the requestor for
the number of copies requested.
Public Comment Availability:
Comments, including names and
PO 00000
Frm 00059
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
21949
addresses of respondents, will be
available for public review at the BIA
mailing address shown in the
ADDRESSES section of this notice, during
regular business hours, 8 a.m. to 4:30
p.m., Monday through Friday, except
holidays. 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 us in your
comment to withhold your personal
identifying information from public
review, we cannot guarantee that we
will be able to do so.
Authority: This notice is published
pursuant to Sec. 1503.1 of the Council of
Environmental Quality Regulations (40 CFR
parts 1500 through 1508) and Sec. 46.305 of
the Department of 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.
Dated: April 8, 2014.
Kevin K. Washburn,
Assistant Secretary—Indian Affairs.
[FR Doc. 2014–08515 Filed 4–17–14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310–W7–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Indian Affairs
[K00621 1314 R3B30]
Final Environmental Impact Statement
for the Cloverdale Rancheria of Pomo
Indians’ Proposed 65-Acre Fee-toTrust Acquisition and Resort Casino
Project, Sonoma County, California
Bureau of Indian Affairs,
Interior.
ACTION: Notice of Availability.
AGENCY:
This notice advises the public
that the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA)
as lead agency, with the Cloverdale
Rancheria of Pomo Indians (Tribe),
National Indian Gaming Commission,
Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA), California Department of
Transportation (Caltrans), Sonoma
County, and City of Cloverdale as
cooperating agencies, intends to file a
final environmental impact statement
(FEIS) with the EPA for the Tribe’s
application requesting that the United
States acquire land in trust within
Sonoma County, California, and that the
FEIS is now available for public review.
DATES: The Record of Decision on the
proposed action will be issued on or
SUMMARY:
E:\FR\FM\18APN1.SGM
18APN1
mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
21950
Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 75 / Friday, April 18, 2014 / Notices
after 30 days from the date the EPA
publishes its Notice of Availability in
the Federal Register. Any comments on
the FEIS must arrive on or before that
date.
ADDRESSES: Mail or hand carry written
comments to Amy Dutschke, Regional
Director, Bureau of Indian Affairs,
Pacific Region, 2800 Cottage Way,
Sacramento, California 95825. See
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION for
directions on submitting comments and
the public availability of the FEIS.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: John
Rydzik, (916) 978–6051.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: BIA
prepared the FEIS to address the
potential environmental effects of the
United States acquiring six parcels in
trust (totaling approximately 65 acres)
for the benefit of the Tribe, as well as
the subsequent development of a
destination resort casino and supporting
infrastructure on some of the parcels.
Subsequent to the release of the Draft
EIS (DEIS) one of the six parcels was
removed from the fee-to-trust
application (Assessor’s Parcel Number
116–310–020). Under Alternatives A
through D, this parcel was proposed to
include a tribal government building
with workspace and offices and an
associated parking area. Upon review of
the environmental impacts for the
alternatives, the BIA determined that
the removal of this parcel would not
appreciably change the level of
significance for the issues analyzed in
this EIS, and thus the FEIS has not been
altered to remove this parcel from the
project site or impact analysis. However,
it should be noted that this parcel,
including the proposed tribal
government building and associated
parking area, are not included within
the current fee-to-trust application.
The parcels within the current fee-totrust application are located within
unincorporated Sonoma County,
California. The project site is situated
immediately east of Highway 101 and
borders Asti Road. Regional access to
the project site is provided by Highway
101, with local access provided by
South Cloverdale Boulevard via
Highway 101. The project site is
adjacent to the location of the Tribe’s
historic rancheria.
The proposed project (Alternative A)
includes an 80,000 square-foot casino,
287,000 square-foot hotel with 244
rooms, 48,600 square-foot convention
center, 28,100 square-foot entertainment
center, 3,400 car garage and surface
parking spaces, and other ancillary
facilities. Buildings would have a height
of up to two stories above grade with the
exception of the hotel and parking
VerDate Mar<15>2010
16:54 Apr 17, 2014
Jkt 232001
garage which would have a height of up
to five stories above grade.
Project alternatives considered in the
FEIS include: Alternative A—Proposed
Action; Alternative B—Reduced Hotel
and Casino; Alternative C—Reduced
Casino; Alternative D—Casino Only;
Alternative E—Commercial Retail-Office
Space; and Alternative F—No Action
Alternative. Alternative A (i.e. the
proposed fee-to-trust acquisition and
resort casino project) has been selected
as the Tribe’s preferred alternative, as
discussed in the FEIS. The information
and analysis contained in the EIS, as
well as its evaluation and assessment of
the Tribe’s preferred alternative, are
intended to assist the review of the
issues presented in the fee-to-trust
application. The preferred alternative
does not necessarily reflect what the
final decision will be, because the
Department must evaluate all of the
criteria listed in 25 CFR part 151. The
Department’s consideration and analysis
of the applicable regulations may lead to
a final decision that selects an
alternative other than the preferred
alternative, including no action, or a
variant of the preferred or another of the
alternatives analyzed in the FEIS.
Environmental issues addressed in
the FEIS include land resources, water
resources, air quality, biological
resources, cultural and paleontological
resources, socioeconomic conditions,
transportation, land use and agriculture,
public services, noise, hazardous
materials, visual resources,
environmental justice, growth inducing
effects, indirect effects, cumulative
effects, and mitigation measures.
The BIA afforded other government
agencies and the public extensive
opportunity to participate in the
preparation of this EIS. A Notice of
Intent to prepare the EIS for the
proposed action was published in the
Federal Register on July 7, 2008. The
BIA held a public scoping meeting on
July 30, 2008, in the City of Cloverdale.
A Notice of Availability for the DEIS
was published in the Federal Register
on August 6, 2010. The DEIS was
available for public comment from
August 6, 2010 to October 20, 2010. The
BIA held a public hearing on the DEIS
on September 16, 2010, in the City of
Cloverdale.
Locations where the FEIS is Available
for Review: The FEIS is available for
public review at the Cloverdale Regional
Library, 401 North Cloverdale
Boulevard, Cloverdale, CA 95425 and at
the Santa Rosa Central Library, 211 E
Street, Santa Rosa, CA 95404. General
information for the Cloverdale Regional
Library can be obtained by calling (707)
894–5271 and the Santa Rosa Central
PO 00000
Frm 00060
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 9990
Library by calling (707) 545–0831. An
electronic version of the FEIS can also
be viewed at the following Web site:
https://www.cloverdalerancheria.com/
eis.html.
Directions for Submitting Comments:
Please include your name, return
address, and the caption, ‘‘FEIS
Comments, Cloverdale Rancheria of
Pomo Indians’ Fee-to-Trust and Resort
Casino Project,’’ on the first page of your
written comments and submit
comments to the BIA address listed
above in the ADDRESSES section of this
notice.
To obtain a compact disk copy of the
FEIS, please provide your name and
address in writing or by voicemail to
John Rydzik, Chief of the Division of
Environmental, Cultural Resources
Management and Safety, at the address
listed in the ADDRESSES section of this
notice, or at the telephone number listed
in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
CONTACT section of this notice. Note that
individual paper copies of the FEIS will
be provided only upon payment of
applicable printing expenses by the
requestor for the number of copies
requested.
Public Comment Availability:
Comments, including the names and
addresses of respondents, will be
available for public review at the BIA
mailing address shown in the
ADDRESSES section, during regular
business hours, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.,
Monday through Friday, except
holidays. Before including your address,
phone 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 us in your comment
to withhold your personal identifying
information from public review, we
cannot guarantee that we will be able to
do so.
Authority: This notice is published in
accordance with 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 National Environmental Policy Act of
1969, as amended (42 U.S.C. 4371 et seq.),
and is accordance with the exercise of
authority delegated to the Assistant
Secretary—Indian Affairs by part 209 of the
Departmental Manual.
Dated: April 8, 2014.
Kevin Washburn,
Assistant Secretary—Indian Affairs.
[FR Doc. 2014–08514 Filed 4–17–14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310–W7–P
E:\FR\FM\18APN1.SGM
18APN1
Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 75 (Friday, April 18, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 21949-21950]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-08514]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Indian Affairs
[K00621 1314 R3B30]
Final Environmental Impact Statement for the Cloverdale Rancheria
of Pomo Indians' Proposed 65-Acre Fee-to-Trust Acquisition and Resort
Casino Project, Sonoma County, California
AGENCY: Bureau of Indian Affairs, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of Availability.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: This notice advises the public that the Bureau of Indian
Affairs (BIA) as lead agency, with the Cloverdale Rancheria of Pomo
Indians (Tribe), National Indian Gaming Commission, Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA), California Department of Transportation
(Caltrans), Sonoma County, and City of Cloverdale as cooperating
agencies, intends to file a final environmental impact statement (FEIS)
with the EPA for the Tribe's application requesting that the United
States acquire land in trust within Sonoma County, California, and that
the FEIS is now available for public review.
DATES: The Record of Decision on the proposed action will be issued on
or
[[Page 21950]]
after 30 days from the date the EPA publishes its Notice of
Availability in the Federal Register. Any comments on the FEIS must
arrive on or before that date.
ADDRESSES: Mail or hand carry written comments to Amy Dutschke,
Regional Director, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Pacific Region, 2800
Cottage Way, Sacramento, California 95825. See SUPPLEMENTARY
INFORMATION for directions on submitting comments and the public
availability of the FEIS.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: John Rydzik, (916) 978-6051.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: BIA prepared the FEIS to address the
potential environmental effects of the United States acquiring six
parcels in trust (totaling approximately 65 acres) for the benefit of
the Tribe, as well as the subsequent development of a destination
resort casino and supporting infrastructure on some of the parcels.
Subsequent to the release of the Draft EIS (DEIS) one of the six
parcels was removed from the fee-to-trust application (Assessor's
Parcel Number 116-310-020). Under Alternatives A through D, this parcel
was proposed to include a tribal government building with workspace and
offices and an associated parking area. Upon review of the
environmental impacts for the alternatives, the BIA determined that the
removal of this parcel would not appreciably change the level of
significance for the issues analyzed in this EIS, and thus the FEIS has
not been altered to remove this parcel from the project site or impact
analysis. However, it should be noted that this parcel, including the
proposed tribal government building and associated parking area, are
not included within the current fee-to-trust application.
The parcels within the current fee-to-trust application are located
within unincorporated Sonoma County, California. The project site is
situated immediately east of Highway 101 and borders Asti Road.
Regional access to the project site is provided by Highway 101, with
local access provided by South Cloverdale Boulevard via Highway 101.
The project site is adjacent to the location of the Tribe's historic
rancheria.
The proposed project (Alternative A) includes an 80,000 square-foot
casino, 287,000 square-foot hotel with 244 rooms, 48,600 square-foot
convention center, 28,100 square-foot entertainment center, 3,400 car
garage and surface parking spaces, and other ancillary facilities.
Buildings would have a height of up to two stories above grade with the
exception of the hotel and parking garage which would have a height of
up to five stories above grade.
Project alternatives considered in the FEIS include: Alternative
A--Proposed Action; Alternative B--Reduced Hotel and Casino;
Alternative C--Reduced Casino; Alternative D--Casino Only; Alternative
E--Commercial Retail-Office Space; and Alternative F--No Action
Alternative. Alternative A (i.e. the proposed fee-to-trust acquisition
and resort casino project) has been selected as the Tribe's preferred
alternative, as discussed in the FEIS. The information and analysis
contained in the EIS, as well as its evaluation and assessment of the
Tribe's preferred alternative, are intended to assist the review of the
issues presented in the fee-to-trust application. The preferred
alternative does not necessarily reflect what the final decision will
be, because the Department must evaluate all of the criteria listed in
25 CFR part 151. The Department's consideration and analysis of the
applicable regulations may lead to a final decision that selects an
alternative other than the preferred alternative, including no action,
or a variant of the preferred or another of the alternatives analyzed
in the FEIS.
Environmental issues addressed in the FEIS include land resources,
water resources, air quality, biological resources, cultural and
paleontological resources, socioeconomic conditions, transportation,
land use and agriculture, public services, noise, hazardous materials,
visual resources, environmental justice, growth inducing effects,
indirect effects, cumulative effects, and mitigation measures.
The BIA afforded other government agencies and the public extensive
opportunity to participate in the preparation of this EIS. A Notice of
Intent to prepare the EIS for the proposed action was published in the
Federal Register on July 7, 2008. The BIA held a public scoping meeting
on July 30, 2008, in the City of Cloverdale. A Notice of Availability
for the DEIS was published in the Federal Register on August 6, 2010.
The DEIS was available for public comment from August 6, 2010 to
October 20, 2010. The BIA held a public hearing on the DEIS on
September 16, 2010, in the City of Cloverdale.
Locations where the FEIS is Available for Review: The FEIS is
available for public review at the Cloverdale Regional Library, 401
North Cloverdale Boulevard, Cloverdale, CA 95425 and at the Santa Rosa
Central Library, 211 E Street, Santa Rosa, CA 95404. General
information for the Cloverdale Regional Library can be obtained by
calling (707) 894-5271 and the Santa Rosa Central Library by calling
(707) 545-0831. An electronic version of the FEIS can also be viewed at
the following Web site: https://www.cloverdalerancheria.com/eis.html.
Directions for Submitting Comments: Please include your name,
return address, and the caption, ``FEIS Comments, Cloverdale Rancheria
of Pomo Indians' Fee-to-Trust and Resort Casino Project,'' on the first
page of your written comments and submit comments to the BIA address
listed above in the ADDRESSES section of this notice.
To obtain a compact disk copy of the FEIS, please provide your name
and address in writing or by voicemail to John Rydzik, Chief of the
Division of Environmental, Cultural Resources Management and Safety, at
the address listed in the ADDRESSES section of this notice, or at the
telephone number listed in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section
of this notice. Note that individual paper copies of the FEIS will be
provided only upon payment of applicable printing expenses by the
requestor for the number of copies requested.
Public Comment Availability: Comments, including the names and
addresses of respondents, will be available for public review at the
BIA mailing address shown in the ADDRESSES section, during regular
business hours, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, except
holidays. Before including your address, phone 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 us in your comment to withhold your personal identifying
information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be
able to do so.
Authority: This notice is published in accordance with 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 National
Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as amended (42 U.S.C. 4371 et
seq.), and is accordance with the exercise of authority delegated to
the Assistant Secretary--Indian Affairs by part 209 of the
Departmental Manual.
Dated: April 8, 2014.
Kevin Washburn,
Assistant Secretary--Indian Affairs.
[FR Doc. 2014-08514 Filed 4-17-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-W7-P