[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 241 (Friday, December 16, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 74844-74845]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E5-7413]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Indian Affairs


Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Confederated Tribes 
of the Umatilla Indian Reservation's Proposed Coyote Business Park, 
Umatilla County, OR

AGENCY: Bureau of Indian Affairs, Interior.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: This notice advises the public that the Bureau of Indian 
Affairs (BIA) intends to file a Draft Environmental Impact Statement 
(DEIS) with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for the proposed 
lease and development of an industrial park of up to 142 acres of land 
held in trust by the United States for the benefit of the Confederated 
Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR) in Umatilla County, 
Oregon, and that the DEIS is now available for public review. The 
purpose of the proposed project, the Coyote Business Park, is to help 
meet economic development needs on the Umatilla Indian Reservation. 
This notice also announces a hearing for the public to provide comments 
on the DEIS.

DATES: Written comments on the DEIS must arrive by January 30, 2006. 
The public hearing will be held January 19, 2006, starting at 7 p.m.

ADDRESSES: You may mail written comments to Jerry L. Lauer, Acting 
Superintendent, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Umatilla Agency, P.O. Box 
520, Pendleton, Oregon, 97801; or hand carry written comments to Mr. 
Lauer at the Umatilla Agency, 46807 B Street, Mission, Oregon.
    The public meeting will be held at the Tamastslikt Cultural 
Institute, 72789 Highway 331, Pendleton, OR 97801.
    To obtain a copy of the DEIS, please contact Jerry L. Lauer by mail 
at the above mailing address or by telephone at the number provided 
below. Copies of the DEIS are available for public review at the 
Umatilla Agency (street address above), at the Pendleton Public 
Library, 500 SW Dorian, Pendleton, Oregon, and on the Web site http://
www/efw/bpa.gov/cgi-bin/PSA/NEPA/ SUMMARIES/Coyote Business Park. 
Copies of the DEIS have also been sent to agencies and individuals who 
participated in the scoping process and to all others who had requested 
copies.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jerry L. Lauer, (541) 278-3786.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The DEIS, prepared with the cooperation of 
the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) and CTUIR, analyzes the 
impacts of the proposed leasing of Indian trust land for the purpose of 
constructing and managing a light industrial and commercial business 
park. The proposed Coyote Business Park would be situated on 142 
contiguous acres of a 520 acre parcel of trust land located south of 
Interstate 84 at Exit 216 and west of South Market Road, approximately 
7 miles east of Pendleton, Oregon, on the Umatilla Indian Reservation.
    The proposed action is to construct infrastructure for the business 
park, including domestic water service, sanitary sewer service, storm 
water drainage, roads, and utilities to lots which would be leased by 
the CTUIR to individual business owners for the construction of light 
industrial and/or commercial facilities. The CTUIR may also construct 
such facilities for lease to private operators. Anticipated light 
industrial operations include warehouses or distribution facilities and 
assembly of previously manufactured components.
    Water under the proposed action would be supplied to the business 
park from the Mission Water System. Wastewater would be handled by 
connection to the Mission Wastewater Collection System, which is 
treated through a cooperative agreement by the city of Pendleton. Storm 
water drainage would be retained on-site. Access to the site would be 
from South Market Road, which would be improved to an industrial 
standard and provided with a dedicated right hand turn lane into the 
site. Commercial utilities would be provided through extensions of 
existing services which are located either adjacent to, or within one-
fourth mile of the site. Support structures would also be replaced on 
the high-voltage BPA transmission line that crosses the site.
    Potential impacts to Patawa Creek as well as nearby residences have 
been considered in the design of the business Park. Mitigation includes 
a storm water drainage collection system that isolates storm water from 
Patawa Creek; creation of a Riparian Management Zone along Patawa Creek 
to establish native vegetation and reduce sedimentation and erosion; 
incorporation of best management practices to reduce impacts to 
groundwater; incorporation of landscaping and night lighting design to 
reduce visual impact and night light pollution; and construction of a 
new bridge across Patawa Creek to provide access to the Oregon 
Department of Transportation's gravel shed and the Tribal Environmental 
Recovery Facility, thus eliminating the need for the existing gravel 
road to these facilities.
    The DEIS analyzes the proposed action (Alternative E), the no 
action alternative (A) and three other action alternatives (B, C, and 
D). The proposed action is the preferred alternative. The action 
alternatives differ primarily in: (1) The size (21-142 acres) of the 
proposed business park; (2) whether domestic water would be provided 
through the drilling of a new well or through the extension of an 
existing community water system; and (3) whether sanitary sewer service 
would be provided by installation of septic tanks and drain fields or 
by connection to an existing municipal sewer system.
    Public participation has occurred throughout the development of 
this DEIS. The Notice of Intent was

[[Page 74845]]

published in the Federal Register on January 9, 2002 (66 FR 1191). A 
public scoping meeting was held in Pendleton, Oregon, on January 23, 
2003, to solicit comments and ideas. On November 6, 2003, an open house 
was held in Pendleton, Oregon, to update the public on the National 
Environmental Policy Act compliance process for the proposed project. 
All comments presented throughout the process have been considered.

Public Comment Availability

    Comments, including names and addresses of respondents, will be 
available for public review at the mailing address shown in the 
ADDRESSES section during regular business hours, 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., 
Monday through Friday, except holidays. Individual respondents may 
request confidentiality. If you wish us to withhold your name and/or 
address from public review or from disclosure under the Freedom of 
Information Act, you must state this prominently at the beginning of 
your written comment. Such requests will be honored to the extent 
allowed by law. We will not, however, consider anonymous comments. All 
submissions from organizations or businesses and from individuals 
identifying themselves as representatives or officials of organizations 
or businesses will be made available for public inspection in their 
entirety.

Authority

    This notice is published in accordance with section 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 Interior Manual (516 DM 1-6), and is in the 
exercise of authority delegated to the Principal Deputy Assistant 
Secretary--Indian Affairs by 209 DM 8.1.

    Dated: December 8, 2005.
Michael D. Olsen,
Acting Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary--Indian Affairs.
[FR Doc. E5-7413 Filed 12-15-05; 8:45 am]
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