Indian Affairs Bureau August 2010 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Assistant SecretaryIndian Affairs made a final agency determination to acquire Parcel 2 consisting of 53.54 acres of land into trust for the Tohono O'odham Nation of Arizona on July 23, 2010. This notice is published in the exercise of authority delegated by the Secretary of the Interior to the Assistant SecretaryIndian Affairs by 209 Departmental Manual 8.1.

This notice advises the public that the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), in cooperation with the Ute Indian Tribe, Bureau of Land Management (BLM), U.S. Forest Service (USFS), U.S. Army Corp of Engineers (ACE), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the State of Utah, and Duchesne County, intends to gather information necessary for preparing an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) that evaluates proposed oil and gas development activities on the Uintah and Ouray Indian Reservation (Reservation), Utah. The Proposed Action consists of drilling up to 4,899 oil and/or natural gas wells over the next 15 years, with a life- of-project of 40 years. In addition to well pad development, linear developments would include roads, pipelines, and power lines. The Proposed Action would also include the development of ancillary facilities such as compressor stations, water treatment facilities, and storage areas. This notice also announces public scoping meetings that will be held to identify potential issues and alternatives to be considered in the EIS.

Notice is hereby given that the Assistant Secretary-Indian Affairs (AS-IA) proposes to decline to acknowledge that the group known as the ``Central Band of Cherokee'' (CBC), Petitioner 227, c/o Mr. Joe H. White, 1 Public Square, Lawrenceburg, Tennessee 38464, is an Indian tribe within the meaning of Federal law. This notice is based on an investigation pursuant to 25 CFR 83.10(e) that determined that the petitioner does not meet one of the seven mandatory criteria set forth in 25 CFR 83.7, specifically criterion 83.7(e), and therefore does not meet the requirements for a government-to-government relationship with the United States.

The Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) is announcing that the Advisory Board for Exceptional Children (Advisory Board) will hold its next meeting in Washington, DC. The purpose of the meeting is to meet the mandates of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 2004 (IDEA) for Indian children with disabilities.

The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) announces the availability of the Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the proposed 25- acre trust acquisition for the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Reservation of Oregon (Tribe) within the City of Cascade Locks, Hood River County, Oregon. The acquired trust land would be used for the development of a casino and related hotel, dining, and entertainment facilities. The purpose of the proposed action is to improve the Tribe's long-term economic conditions and support its self-sufficiency, both with respect to its government operations and its members. The Final EIS considers casino alternatives in Hood River County and on the Warm Springs Indian Reservation. The Final EIS identifies the Cascade Locks Resort and Casino Project as the BIA's preferred alternative.

The Bureau of Indian Affairs, in cooperation with the Seminole Tribe of Florida (Tribe), intends to prepare an environmental impact statement for the Tribe's proposed 47 acre trust acquisition and subsequent construction of a mixed-use development in Broward County, Florida. The project site may include, but is not limited to, a variety of proposed land uses such as a hotel, commercial retail uses, fitness and entertainment facilities, and related employee parking. The purposes of the proposed action are to consolidate the Tribe's land holdings surrounding the existing Coconut Creek Casino into one contiguous trust property, to improve the Tribe's economy, and to help Tribal members attain economic self sufficiency. This notice also announces a public scoping meeting to identify potential issues and content for inclusion in the environmental impact statement.

This notice advises the public that the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) as lead agency, with the North Fork Rancheria of Mono Indians (Tribe), California Department of Transportation (Caltrans), Madera Irrigation District, City of Madera, National Indian Gaming Commission (NIGC), and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as cooperating agencies, intends to file a Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) with the EPA for the Tribe's proposed 305-acre trust acquisition and casino-resort project in unincorporated Madera County, just north of the City of Madera, California, and that the FEIS is now available for public review.