Notice of Availability of a Final Environmental Impact Statement and Final Conformity Determination for the Koi Nation of Northern California's Proposed Shiloh Resort and Casino Project, Sonoma County, California, 92713 [2024-27430]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
• Bureau of Indian Affairs

[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 226 (Friday, November 22, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Page 92713]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-27430]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Indian Affairs


Notice of Availability of a Final Environmental Impact Statement 
and Final Conformity Determination for the Koi Nation of Northern 
California's Proposed Shiloh Resort and Casino Project, Sonoma County, 
California

AGENCY: Bureau of Indian Affairs, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of availability.

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SUMMARY: This notice advises the public that the Bureau of Indian 
Affairs (BIA), as lead agency, with the National Indian Gaming 
Commission (NIGC) and United States Environmental Protection Agency 
(EPA) serving as cooperating agencies, has filed a Final Environmental 
Impact Statement (FEIS) with the EPA in connection with the Koi Nation 
of Northern California's (Koi Nation) application for acquisition in 
trust by the United States of approximately 68.60 acres adjacent to the 
Town of Windsor, Sonoma County, California for gaming and other 
purposes.

DATES: The Record of Decision for the proposed action will be issued on 
or after 30 days from 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 send written comments by any of the following 
methods:
     Mail or hand-delivery: Amy Dutschke, Regional Director, 
Bureau of Indian Affairs, Pacific Region, 2800 Cottage Way, Sacramento, 
California 95825. Please include your name, return address, and ``FEIS 
Comments, Shiloh Resort and Casino Project'' on the first page of your 
written comments.
     Email: Chad Broussard, Environmental Protection 
Specialist, Bureau of Indian Affairs, at [email protected] using 
``FEIS Comments, Shiloh Resort and Casino 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 https://www.shilohresortenvironmental.com/.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The BIA previously prepared an EA that 
analyzed the potential environmental effects of the proposed action. 
The EA was made available for public comments from September 12, 2023, 
through November 13, 2023, providing for a total of 60 days to submit 
comments on the EA. Upon consideration of the public and agency 
comments received, the BIA decided to prepare an EIS to further analyze 
the environmental effects which may result from the proposed action. A 
Notice of Intent (NOI) to prepare an EIS was published in the Federal 
Register and The Press Democrat on March 8, 2024. A Notice of 
Availability (NOA) was published in the Federal Register by the BIA on 
July 8, 2024 (89 FR 55968) and the EPA on July 12, 2024 (89 FR 57150). 
The Draft EIS was made available for a 45-day public comment period 
beginning July 12, 2024, and ending on August 26, 2024. A public 
meeting was held July 30, 2024, to collect verbal comments. In 
accordance with section 176 of the Clean Air Act and the EPA's general 
conformity regulations, a Draft Conformity Determination has been 
prepared for the Shiloh Resort and Casino Project. The Final Conformity 
Determination is contained within appendix F-2 of the FEIS.

Background

    The following alternatives are considered in the FEIS: (A) Proposed 
Project; (B) Reduced Intensity Alternative; (C) Non-Gaming Alternative; 
and (D) No Action Alternative. The BIA has selected Alternative A, the 
Proposed Project as the Preferred Alternative as discussed in the FEIS.
    Environmental issues addressed in the FEIS include land resources; 
water resources; air quality and climate change; noise; biological 
resources; cultural and paleontological resources; transportation and 
circulation; land use; hazardous materials and hazards; public services 
and utilities; socioeconomics; environmental justice; visual resources; 
and cumulative, indirect, and growth-inducing effects.
    The information and analysis contained in the FEIS, as well as its 
evaluation and assessment of the Preferred Alternative, will assist the 
Department in its review of the issues presented in the Tribe's 
application. Selection of the Preferred Alternative does not indicate 
the Department's final decision because the Department must complete 
its review process. The Department's review process consists of (1) 
issuing the notice of availability of the FEIS; (2) issuing a Record of 
Decision no sooner than 30 days following publication of a Notice of 
Availability of the FEIS by the EPA in the Federal Register; and (3) 
transfer of the approximately 68.60 acres into trust.
    Locations where the FEIS is Available for Review: The FEIS is 
available for review at https://www.shilohresortenvironmental.com/, 
Bureau of Indian Affairs, Pacific Region, 2800 Cottage Way, Sacramento, 
California 95825 (with advance notice and during regular business 
hours), and Windsor Regional Library located at 9291 Old Redwood Hwy. 
#100, Windsor, CA 95492, telephone (707) 838-1020 (during regular 
business hours). Contact information is 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 responses to comments on the Final EIS. 
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 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 section 1503.1 of the Council 
of Environmental Quality Regulations (40 CFR parts 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, as 
amended (42 U.S.C. 4371, et seq.), and in accordance with 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.

Wizipan Garriott,
Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary--Indian Affairs, Exercising by 
Delegation the Authority of the Assistant Secretary--Indian Affairs.
[FR Doc. 2024-27430 Filed 11-21-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4337-15-P