Final Environmental Impact Statement for the Tule River Tribe's Proposed Fee-to-Trust and Eagle Mountain Casino Relocation Project, Tulare County, California, 25303-25304 [2019-11383]
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Federal Register / Vol. 84, No. 105 / Friday, May 31, 2019 / Notices
Dated: May 17, 2019.
Tara Sweeney,
Assistant Secretary—Indian Affairs.
Cottage Way, Room W–2820,
Sacramento, California 95825;
telephone: (916) 978–6165; email:
chad.broussard@bia.gov. Information is
also available online at
www.tulerivereis.com.
[FR Doc. 2019–11382 Filed 5–30–19; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4337–15–P
Bureau of Indian Affairs
[192D0102DR/DS5A300000/
DR.5A311.IA000118]
Final Environmental Impact Statement
for the Tule River Tribe’s Proposed
Fee-to-Trust and Eagle Mountain
Casino Relocation Project, Tulare
County, California
Bureau of Indian Affairs,
Interior.
ACTION: Notice.
AGENCY:
This notice advises the public
that the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA),
as lead agency, with the Tule River
Indian Tribe (Tribe), City of Porterville
(City), Tulare County (County),
California Department of Transportation
(Caltrans), and the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) serving as
cooperating agencies, intends to file a
Final Environmental Impact Statement
(FEIS) with the EPA in connection with
the Tribe’s application for transfer into
trust by the United States of
approximately 40 acres for gaming and
other purposes in the City of Porterville,
Tulare County, California.
DATES: The BIA will issue a Record of
Decision for the proposed action on or
after 30 days after the date the EPA
publishes its Notice of Availability in
the Federal Register. The BIA must
receive any comments on the FEIS
before that date.
ADDRESSES: You may mail or handdeliver written comments to Amy
Dutschke, Regional Director, Bureau of
Indian Affairs, Pacific Region, 2800
Cottage Way, Sacramento, CA 95825.
Please include your name, return
address, and the caption ‘‘FEIS
Comments, Tule River Tribe Casino
Relocation Project’’ on the first page of
your written comments. You may also
submit comments through email to
Chad Broussard, Environmental
Protection Specialist, Bureau of Indian
Affairs, at chad.broussard@bia.gov. If
emailing comments, please use ‘‘FEIS
Comments, Tule River Tribe Casino
Relocation Project’’ as the subject of
your email.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Chad Broussard, Environmental
Protection Specialist, Bureau of Indian
Affairs, Pacific Regional Office, 2800
khammond on DSKBBV9HB2PROD with NOTICES
SUMMARY:
VerDate Sep<11>2014
16:42 May 30, 2019
Jkt 247001
The Tribe
proposes to construct a casino resort on
the approximately 40-acre trust property
in Tulare County, California. The BIA
published a Notice of Intent (NOI) to
prepare an EIS in the Federal Register
on December 30, 2016 (81 FR 96477),
and in the Porterville Recorder, and held
a public scoping meeting on January 23,
2017, at the Veterans Memorial
Building, in Porterville, California. The
BIA published the Notice of Availability
(NOA) of the Draft EIS in the Federal
Register on September 21, 2018 (83 FR
47935), and held a public hearing on
October 15, 2018, at the Veterans
Memorial Building in Porterville,
California.
Background: The Tribe’s proposed
project consists of the following
components: (1) The Department’s
transfer of approximately 40 acres from
fee to trust status; (2) issuance of a
determination by the Secretary of the
Interior pursuant to Section 20 of the
Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, 25
U.S.C. 2719; and (3) the development of
the trust parcel and the off-site
improvement areas. The proposed
casino-hotel resort would include a
hotel, convention center, multipurpose
event space, several restaurant facilities,
parking facilities and water reclamation
infrastructure. The new facility would
replace the Tribe’s existing casino, and
the existing casino buildings would be
converted to Tribal government or
service uses.
The following alternatives are
considered in the FEIS: (1) Proposed
Project; (2) Proposed Project with OnSite Water and Wastewater Systems; (3)
Reduced Intensity Hotel and Casino; (4)
Non-Gaming Hotel and Conference
Center; (5) Expansion of Existing Eagle
Mountain Casino; and (6) No Action
Alternative. The BIA identified
Alternative 1 as the Preferred
Alternative as discussed in the FEIS.
The information and analysis
contained in the FEIS, as well as its
evaluation and assessment of the
Preferred Alternative, will 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 reflect
the Department’s final decision because
the Department must further evaluate all
of the criteria listed in 25 CFR part 151
and 25 CFR part 292. The Department’s
consideration and analysis of the
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
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Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
25303
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 geology and soils,
water resources, air quality, biological
resources, cultural and paleontological
resources, socioeconomic conditions
(including environmental justice),
transportation and circulation, land use,
public services, noise, hazardous
materials, aesthetics, cumulative effects,
and indirect and growth inducing
effects.
Locations Where the FEIS is Available
for Review: The FEIS is available for
review during regular business hours at
the BIA Pacific Regional Office at the
address noted above in the ADDRESSES
section of this notice, and the Porterville
Public Library at 41 West Thurman
Avenue in Porterville, California. The
FEIS is also available online at
www.tulerivereis.com. To obtain a
compact disc copy of the FEIS, please
provide your name and address in
writing or by phone to Chad Broussard,
Bureau of Indian Affairs, Pacific
Regional Office. Contact information is
listed in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
CONTACT section of this notice.
Individual paper copies of the FEIS will
be provided upon payment of applicable
printing expenses by the requestor for
the number of copies requested.
Public Comment Availability:
Comments, including names and
addresses of respondents, will be
available for public review at the BIA
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, 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
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 the
Interior Regulations (43 CFR part 46),
implementing the procedural
requirements of the NEPA of l969, 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.
E:\FR\FM\31MYN1.SGM
31MYN1
25304
Federal Register / Vol. 84, No. 105 / Friday, May 31, 2019 / Notices
Dated: May 20, 2019.
John Tahsuda,
Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary—Indian
Affairs.
[FR Doc. 2019–11383 Filed 5–30–19; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4337–15–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[LLOR930000.L16100000.DS0000.
LXSS072H0000.19X.HAG 19–0013]
Notice of Availability of the Draft
Southeastern Oregon Resource
Management Plan Amendment and
Draft Environmental Impact Statement
for the Malheur Field Office, Vale
District, Oregon
Bureau of Land Management,
Interior.
ACTION: Notice of Availability.
AGENCY:
In accordance with the
National Environmental Policy Act of
1969 (NEPA), as amended, and the
Federal Land Policy and Management
Act of 1976 (FLPMA), as amended, the
Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has
prepared a Draft Southeastern Oregon
Resource Management Plan (RMP)
Amendment and Draft Environmental
Impact Statement (EIS) for the Malheur
Field Office of the Vale District and, by
this notice, is announcing the opening
of the comment period.
DATES: To ensure that comments will be
considered, the BLM must receive
written comments on the Draft
Southeastern Oregon RMP Amendment
and Draft EIS within 90 days following
the date the Environmental Protection
Agency publishes its notice of
availability of the Draft Southeastern
Oregon RMP Amendment and Draft EIS
in the Federal Register. The BLM will
announce future meetings or hearings
and any other public participation
activities at least 15 days in advance
through public notices, media releases,
and/or mailings.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments
related to the Draft Southeastern Oregon
RMP Amendment and Draft EIS by any
of the following methods:
• Website: https://go.usa.gov/xnsQx.
• Email: BLM_OR_VL_SEORMP@
blm.gov.
• Fax: 541–473–6213.
• Mail: SEORMPA, c/o Vale District
BLM, 100 Oregon Street, Vale, OR
97918.
The Draft Southeastern Oregon RMP
Amendment and Draft EIS and
accompanying background documents
are available at the website: https://
go.usa.gov/xnsQx.
khammond on DSKBBV9HB2PROD with NOTICES
SUMMARY:
VerDate Sep<11>2014
16:42 May 30, 2019
Jkt 247001
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Renee Straub, Assistant Field Manager,
541–473–6289; 100 Oregon Street, Vale,
OR 97918; BLM_OR_VL_Mail@blm.gov.
Contact Ms. Straub to have your name
added to our mailing list. Persons who
use a telecommunications device for the
deaf (TDD) may call the Federal Relay
Service (FRS) at 1–800–877–8339 to
contact the above individual during
normal business hours. FRS is available
24 hours a day, seven days a week, to
leave a message or a question with the
above individual. You will receive a
reply during normal business hours.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The
Federal Land Policy and Management
Act of 1976, 43 U.S.C. 1701 et seq., is
the statutory authority that provides the
primary direction to the BLM to
develop, maintain, amend, and revise
land use plans, which provide for the
use of public lands. Further, FLPMA
provides that the BLM shall manage the
public lands under the principles of
multiple use and sustained yield (Sec.
103, 43 U.S.C. 1702; Sec 202, 43 U.S.C.
1712; and Sec. 302, 43 U.S.C. 1732). The
southeastern Oregon planning area
covers approximately 4.6 million acres
of public lands in Malheur, Grant,
Harney, and Baker Counties in Oregon.
The area is characterized by a basin and
range topography, with remote canyons,
desert, and mountain systems. The Draft
Southeastern Oregon RMP Amendment
and Draft EIS includes a range of five
alternatives designed to address three
main issues raised in a 2010 settlement
agreement: Lands with wilderness
characteristics, off highway vehicle
(OHV) use, and livestock grazing.
Resource uses not addressed by the
alternatives in this focused amendment
will continue as defined under the 2002
Southeastern Oregon RMP, as amended
by the 2015 and 2019 Oregon Greater
Sage-Grouse Approved RMP
Amendments.
The following is an overview of the
five alternatives:
• The No Action Alternative
represents the continuation of existing
management under the 2002
Southeastern Oregon RMP and Record
of Decision (ROD) (as amended by the
2015 Oregon Greater Sage-Grouse RMP
Amendment) with the inclusion of
interim management stipulations
outlined in the 2010 settlement
agreement. These stipulations require
the protection of wilderness
characteristics in 76 public land units
where the BLM’s updated inventory
found wilderness characteristics to
exist.
• Alternative A is the BLM’s
preferred alternative and reflects the
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Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
continuation of existing management
under the 2002 Southeastern Oregon
RMP and ROD (as amended by the 2015
Oregon Greater Sage-Grouse RMP
Amendment) without the restrictions of
the 2010 settlement agreement. The
2002 Southeastern Oregon RMP and
ROD did not provide specific
management for, or protection of, lands
with wilderness characteristics. If this
alternative were selected, the 2002
Southeastern Oregon RMP and ROD
would not prioritize protection of lands
with wilderness characteristics outside
of existing wilderness study areas.
Processing voluntary grazing permit
relinquishment and implementation of
measures to address standards and
guidelines for rangeland health would
continue as under current management
and policy. Management of all other
resources would continue under the
2002 Southeastern Oregon RMP, as
amended. Existing allocations at the
land use planning level (such as visual
resource management classes, OHV
categories, and rights-of-way
authorizations) across the planning area
would not change. Under Alternative A,
the BLM would continue to provide for
a sustainable yield of forage for
livestock grazing while maintaining
resource values for long-term multiple
use, consistent with management
objectives, and would be unchanged
from current practices.
Alternatives B, C, and D would
establish new management protections
for units of public land (outside of
existing wilderness study areas) that
have been identified as having
wilderness characteristics. The specific
units identified for protection varies by
alternative.
• Alternative B reflects the highest
level of protection required by the 2010
settlement agreement. Alternative B
prioritizes protection of wilderness
characteristics in all 76 units
determined to possess wilderness
characteristics. The 76 wilderness
characteristics units and all wilderness
study areas would be managed as closed
to OHV use, and existing primitive
routes would be closed to motorized
travel. In addition, in all other units
where off-road vehicle use is currently
allowed (referred to as ‘‘open’’), OHV
use would be limited to existing roads
and primitive routes. To address the
2010 settlement agreement in this
alternative, where existing livestock
grazing practices are found to be
significant causal factors for nonattainment of standards and guidelines
for rangeland health, the BLM would
suspend grazing permits, either at the
allotment- or pasture-scale, for the
duration of the RMP in units identified
E:\FR\FM\31MYN1.SGM
31MYN1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 105 (Friday, May 31, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 25303-25304]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-11383]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Indian Affairs
[192D0102DR/DS5A300000/DR.5A311.IA000118]
Final Environmental Impact Statement for the Tule River Tribe's
Proposed Fee-to-Trust and Eagle Mountain Casino Relocation Project,
Tulare County, California
AGENCY: Bureau of Indian Affairs, Interior.
ACTION: Notice.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: This notice advises the public that the Bureau of Indian
Affairs (BIA), as lead agency, with the Tule River Indian Tribe
(Tribe), City of Porterville (City), Tulare County (County), California
Department of Transportation (Caltrans), and the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) serving as cooperating agencies, intends to
file a Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) with the EPA in
connection with the Tribe's application for transfer into trust by the
United States of approximately 40 acres for gaming and other purposes
in the City of Porterville, Tulare County, California.
DATES: The BIA will issue a Record of Decision for the proposed action
on or after 30 days after the date the EPA publishes its Notice of
Availability in the Federal Register. The BIA must receive any comments
on the FEIS before that date.
ADDRESSES: You may mail or hand-deliver written comments to Amy
Dutschke, Regional Director, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Pacific Region,
2800 Cottage Way, Sacramento, CA 95825. Please include your name,
return address, and the caption ``FEIS Comments, Tule River Tribe
Casino Relocation Project'' on the first page of your written comments.
You may also submit comments through email to Chad Broussard,
Environmental Protection Specialist, Bureau of Indian Affairs, at
[email protected]. If emailing comments, please use ``FEIS
Comments, Tule River Tribe Casino Relocation Project'' as the subject
of your email.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Chad Broussard, Environmental
Protection Specialist, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Pacific Regional
Office, 2800 Cottage Way, Room W-2820, Sacramento, California 95825;
telephone: (916) 978-6165; email: [email protected]. Information
is also available online at www.tulerivereis.com.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Tribe proposes to construct a casino
resort on the approximately 40-acre trust property in Tulare County,
California. The BIA published a Notice of Intent (NOI) to prepare an
EIS in the Federal Register on December 30, 2016 (81 FR 96477), and in
the Porterville Recorder, and held a public scoping meeting on January
23, 2017, at the Veterans Memorial Building, in Porterville,
California. The BIA published the Notice of Availability (NOA) of the
Draft EIS in the Federal Register on September 21, 2018 (83 FR 47935),
and held a public hearing on October 15, 2018, at the Veterans Memorial
Building in Porterville, California.
Background: The Tribe's proposed project consists of the following
components: (1) The Department's transfer of approximately 40 acres
from fee to trust status; (2) issuance of a determination by the
Secretary of the Interior pursuant to Section 20 of the Indian Gaming
Regulatory Act, 25 U.S.C. 2719; and (3) the development of the trust
parcel and the off-site improvement areas. The proposed casino-hotel
resort would include a hotel, convention center, multipurpose event
space, several restaurant facilities, parking facilities and water
reclamation infrastructure. The new facility would replace the Tribe's
existing casino, and the existing casino buildings would be converted
to Tribal government or service uses.
The following alternatives are considered in the FEIS: (1) Proposed
Project; (2) Proposed Project with On-Site Water and Wastewater
Systems; (3) Reduced Intensity Hotel and Casino; (4) Non-Gaming Hotel
and Conference Center; (5) Expansion of Existing Eagle Mountain Casino;
and (6) No Action Alternative. The BIA identified Alternative 1 as the
Preferred Alternative as discussed in the FEIS.
The information and analysis contained in the FEIS, as well as its
evaluation and assessment of the Preferred Alternative, will 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 reflect the Department's final decision because the Department
must further evaluate all of the criteria 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 geology and
soils, water resources, air quality, biological resources, cultural and
paleontological resources, socioeconomic conditions (including
environmental justice), transportation and circulation, land use,
public services, noise, hazardous materials, aesthetics, cumulative
effects, and indirect and growth inducing effects.
Locations Where the FEIS is Available for Review: The FEIS is
available for review during regular business hours at the BIA Pacific
Regional Office at the address noted above in the ADDRESSES section of
this notice, and the Porterville Public Library at 41 West Thurman
Avenue in Porterville, California. The FEIS is also available online at
www.tulerivereis.com. To obtain a compact disc copy of the FEIS, please
provide your name and address in writing or by phone to Chad Broussard,
Bureau of Indian Affairs, Pacific Regional Office. Contact information
is listed in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section of this
notice. Individual paper copies of the FEIS will be provided upon
payment of applicable printing expenses by the requestor for the number
of copies requested.
Public Comment Availability: Comments, including names and
addresses of respondents, will be available for public review at the
BIA 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, 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 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 the Interior Regulations (43
CFR part 46), implementing the procedural requirements of the NEPA of
l969, 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.
[[Page 25304]]
Dated: May 20, 2019.
John Tahsuda,
Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary--Indian Affairs.
[FR Doc. 2019-11383 Filed 5-30-19; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4337-15-P
