[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 39 (Tuesday, February 28, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 10055-10056]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-2755]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Indian Affairs


Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Scotts Valley Band 
of Pomo Indians' Proposed 29.87 Acre Fee-to-Trust Transfer and Casino 
Project, Contra Costa County, California

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) has filed a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) 
with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for a proposed 29.87 acre 
fee-to-trust land transfer and casino project to be located within 
unincorporated Contra Costa County, California. The purpose of the 
proposed action is to help provide for the economic development of the 
Scotts Valley Band of Pomo Indians (Tribe). This notice also announces 
a hearing for the public to provide comments on the DEIS.

DATES: Written comments on the DEIS must arrive by April 28, 2006. The 
public hearing will be held March 15, 2006, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., or 
until the last public comment is received.

ADDRESSES: You may mail or hand carry written comments to Clay Gregory, 
Regional Director, Pacific Regional Office, Bureau of Indian Affairs, 
2800 Cottage Way, Sacramento, California 95825. Please include your 
name, return address, and the caption, ``DEIS Comments, Scotts Valley 
Casino Project,'' on the first page of your written comments.
    The public hearing will be held at the Richmond Memorial 
Auditorium, 403 Civic Center Plaza, Richmond, California.
    The DEIS will be available for review at the Richmond Public 
Library, Main Library, 325 Civic Center Plaza, Richmond, California 
94804, and at the Contra Costa County Library, San Pablo Branch, 2300 
El Portal Drive, Suite D, San Pablo, California 94806. General 
information for the Richmond Public Library can be obtained by calling 
(510) 620-6555 and for the Contra Costa County Library by calling (925) 
646-6423.
    If you would like to obtain a copy of the DEIS, please write or 
call John Rydzik, Chief, Division of Environmental, Cultural Resource 
Management and Safety, Pacific Region, Bureau of Indian Affairs, 2800 
Cottage Way, Room W-2820, Sacramento, CA 95825, telephone (916) 978-
6042. An electronic version of the DEIS may be viewed at http://www.analyticalcorp.com.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: John Rydzik, (916) 978-6042.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Tribe has requested that the BIA take 
into trust 29.87 acres of land currently held in fee by the Tribe, on 
which the Tribe proposes to construct a casino, parking areas and other 
facilities. The proposed project is located in unincorporated Contra 
Costa County, contiguous with the City of Richmond. The project site is 
adjacent to Richmond Parkway and Parr Boulevard, within 3 miles of 
Interstate 80.
    The proposed action includes the development of a 225,000 square 
foot casino complex, 45 feet in height, which would consist of a 
combination of uses. These include a main gaming hall, restaurant, 
entertainment lounge, buffet, sports bar, food court, banking and 
administration facilities and events center. The proposed facility 
would also include a five level parking structure with 2,044 parking 
spaces and approximately 1,275 surface parking spaces to accommodate 
self-parking, valet parking, overflow parking, bus and RV parking, 
employee parking, and executive parking. Driveways along Parr Boulevard 
would provide access to the

[[Page 10056]]

parking areas and casino. Regional access to the casino complex would 
be from Richmond Parkway via Interstate 80.
    A range of project alternatives is considered in the DEIS. These 
are as follows: (1) The proposed casino complex; (2) a reduced casino; 
(3) a reduced casino and commercial development; (4) retail/office 
development; and (5) no action. Environmental issues addressed in the 
DEIS include land resources, water resources, air quality, biological 
resources, cultural resources, socioeconomic conditions, environmental 
justice, transportation, land use, agriculture, public services, noise, 
hazardous materials, visual resources, cumulative effects, indirect 
effects, growth inducing effects and mitigation measures.
    The BIA is the lead agency for the EIS/DEIS on this project. The 
Tribe, Contra Costa County and the California Department of 
Transportation are participating as cooperating agencies. A public 
scoping meeting for the EIS was held by the BIA on August 4, 2004, in 
Richmond, California.

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 business hours, 8 a.m. to 4:30 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 the 
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 the 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.l.

    Dated: February 10, 2006.
Michael D. Olsen,
Acting Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary--Indian Affairs.
 [FR Doc. E6-2755 Filed 2-27-06; 8:45 am]
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