[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 113 (Friday, June 12, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 32238-32239]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-15628]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Indian Affairs


Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the Proposed 
Cabazon Resource Recovery Park, Cabazon Indian Reservation, Indio, CA

AGENCY: Bureau of Indian Affairs, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of availability of DEIS and public hearing and public 
comment dates.

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SUMMARY: This notice advises the public that the Draft Environmental 
Impact Statement (DEIS) for a proposed general plan and master lease of 
approximately 590 acres held in trust by the Federal Government for the 
Cabazon Band of Mission Indians in Riverside County, California is now 
available for public review and comment. The DEIS describes a proposed 
resource recovery park and industrial area for the recycling, reuse and 
transformation of waste streams of various types. This DEIS was 
prepared by the Bureau of Indian Affairs, in cooperation with the 
Cabazon Band of Mission Indians and their environmental consultants. A 
description of the proposed project location and of the environmental 
issues addressed in the DEIS are provided in the Supplementary 
Information. This notice also announces a public hearing to receive 
public comments on the DEIS.
    This notice is published pursuant to Sec. 1503.1 of the Council on 
Environmental Quality Regulations (40 CFR parts 1500 through 1508) 
implementing the procedural requirements of the National Environmental 
Policy Act of 1969, as amended (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), and the 
Department of the Interior Manual (516 DM 1-6), and is in the exercise 
of authority delegated to the Assistant Secretary--Indian Affairs by 
209 DM 8.

DATES: Written comments must be received on or before August 14, 1998. 
All correspondence should show the following caption on the first page: 
``DEIS Comments, Cabazon Resource Recovery Park, Cabazon Indian 
Reservation, Indio, California.'' The public hearing will be held on 
July 23, 1998 at the location shown below. We will consider all 
comments sent during this period, or submitted at the hearing, in 
preparing the Final Environmental Impact Statement.

ADDRESSES: Address comments to Ronald M. Jaeger, Area Director, 
Sacramento Area Office, Bureau of Indian Affairs, 2800 Cottage Way, 
Sacramento, CA 95825-1846. The public hearing will be held from 6:00 
p.m. to 8:00 p.m. on July 23, 1998, at the Cabazon Band Council 
Chambers, 84245 Indio Springs Dr., Indio, CA 92203. This hearing will 
be co-hosted by the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Cabazon Band of 
Mission Indians.
    The DEIS is available for review at the Cabazon Band of Mission 
Indians Administrative Offices, 84245 Indio Springs Dr., Indio, CA 
92203. To obtain a copy of the DEIS, please write or call William 
Allan, Environmental Protection Specialist, Sacramento Area Office, 
Bureau of Indian Affairs, 2800 Cottage Way, Sacramento, CA 95825-1846, 
telephone (916) 979-2575, extension 254.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: William Allan, 916-979-2575.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The proposed action would approve a general 
plan of development for the majority of Section 6 and a master lease of 
the land from the Cabazon Band of Mission Indians to a tribally owned 
corporation. The full development project is entitled the ``Cabazon 
Resource Recovery Park'' (CRRP). The industrial and commercial 
facilities planned for the CRRP are intended to be environmentally 
responsible industries which individually and collectively implement 
practical solutions to environmental and waste management problems of 
several types. The integrated nature of the various types of facilities 
planned is such that the output of some facilities would provide input 
to others, enhancing the overall efficiency and effectiveness of both 
the waste management and manufacturing projects. Existing projects and 
those in development or proposed include a biomass power plant, a 
biosolids recycling plant, a contaminated soil recycling plant, a tire 
recycling and remanufacturing plant, a nickel wire recycling and 
manufacturing plant, a waste food and green waste recycling facility, 
an aquaculture facility, a materials recovery facility, a gasification 
facility, a metals reclamation facility, a used oil recovery refinery, 
a catalytic converter platinum recovery facility, construction and 
demolition materials recovery facility, a fuels and chemicals storage 
and distribution facility, a plant making speciality glass products 
from reclaimed glass, a hazardous waste and hazardous commodity 
processing and transfer facility, and associated support infrastructure 
(railyards, sewage treatment, etc.). The project will meet all 
applicable environmental standards and regulations.
    The project is located in the Coachella Valley approximately one 
mile northwest of the unincorporated town of

[[Page 32239]]

Mecca. Section 6 is characterized by smooth topography and ranges in 
elevation from 180 feet below to 146 feet below mean sea level. Section 
6 is adjacent to, on its west and south sides, the Coachella Valley 
Enterprise Zone; a 27,000 acre area established by the California 
Legislature to create jobs and economic development.
    The DEIS addresses the issues identified during scoping. 
Alternatives to the proposed project that are considered in the DEIS 
include the no action alternative. The environmental issues addressed 
in the DEIS include land and water resources, air quality, living 
resources, cultural and socioeconomic resources, land use, traffic, 
noise, public safety and health, and visual resources.

    Dated: June 4, 1998.
Kevin Gover,
Assistant Secretary--Indian Affairs.
[FR Doc. 98-15628 Filed 6-11-98; 8:45 am]
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