[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 45 (Thursday, March 6, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 12204-12205]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-4353]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Indian Affairs


Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for 
the Proposed Trust Acquisition of an Initial Reservation for the 
Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe in the Town of Mashpee, Barnstable County, and 
Town of Middleboro, Plymouth County, MA, Including a Gaming Facility at 
the Middleboro Property

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) as Lead Agency, with the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe (Tribe) 
as Cooperating Agency, will be gathering information needed for an 
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the proposed trust acquisition 
of approximately 679 acres of land as the Tribe's initial reservation. 
The proposed acquisition includes approximately 140 acres in the Town 
of Mashpee, Barnstable County, Massachusetts, and approximately 539 
acres in the Town of Middleboro, Plymouth County, Massachusetts. The 
property in Mashpee would be used for tribal administrative and 
cultural purposes and housing for tribal members. For the property in 
Middleboro, the Tribe plans the construction of a gaming facility with 
related facilities. The purposes of the proposed federal action are to 
provide a land base for the Tribe and to help meet the economic needs 
of the Tribe and its members. This notice also announces public scoping 
meetings to identify potential issues, alternatives and content for 
inclusion in the EIS.

DATES: Written comments on the scope and implementation of this 
proposal must arrive by April 9, 2008. The public scoping meetings will 
be held March 25 and March 26, 2008, starting at 6 p.m. and continuing 
until all those who register to make statements have been heard.

ADDRESSES: You may mail, hand carry or fax written comments to Franklin 
Keel, Regional Director, Eastern Regional Office, Bureau of Indian 
Affairs, 545 Marriott Drive, Suite 700, Nashville, Tennessee 37214, fax 
(615) 564-6550.
    The March 25, 2008, meeting will be at the Middlboro High School 
Auditorium, 71 East Grove Street, Middleboro, Massachusetts. The March 
26, 2008, meeting will be at the Mashpee High School Auditorium, 500

[[Page 12205]]

Old Barnstable Road, Mashpee, Massachusetts.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kurt Chandler (615) 564-6832.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The BIA is considering the Tribe's 
application for approximately 679 acres of land to be taken into trust 
as the Tribe's initial reservation as a newly acknowledged Indian 
tribe. The Tribe's application includes some properties in Mashpee, 
Barnstable County, Massachusetts, and some properties in Middleboro, 
Plymouth County, Massachusetts. The properties located in Mashpee 
amount to approximately 140 acres. Most of these lands have been owned 
or used by the Tribe or organizations controlled by or related to the 
Tribe for many years, and are currently used for tribal administrative 
and cultural purposes (such as the Old Meeting House and tribal museum) 
and as conservation land. These uses would not change. Some of the 
Mashpee lands would also be used to build homes for tribal members and 
their families.
    The properties in Middleboro, a number of contiguous parcels 
totaling approximately 539 acres, are located along Route 44, about 3.5 
miles east of exit 6 on Interstate 495. Although the eventual size and 
scope of the facilities may be modified based on information obtained 
through the EIS process, the Tribe's current plans for the Middleboro 
land include the construction of a destination resort and gaming 
facility, with a 750 to 1500 room hotel, restaurants and food court 
with a variety of offerings, a 5,000 to 10,000 seat entertainment 
venue, approximately 80,000 square feet of convention event space, 
retail shops, a service station, a warehouse and employee services. The 
project also includes plans for Native American cultural attractions 
and for recreational facilities, such as a spa, golf course and water 
park. In addition, there would be approximately 10,000 parking spaces, 
the majority of which would be in parking garages or under the casino.
    The proposed federal action encompasses all of the various federal 
approvals required to implement the Tribe's fee-to-trust application. 
Areas of environmental concern identified so far for analysis in the 
EIS include water resources and wetlands, stormwater management and 
erosion control, air quality, biological resources, historic properties 
and other cultural resources, socioeconomic conditions, traffic and 
transportation, land use, public utilities and services, noise, 
lighting, hazardous materials, environmental justice, visual resources 
and aesthetics, and cumulative impacts. The range of issues and 
alternatives addressed in the EIS may be expanded or reduced, based on 
comments received in response to this notice and from the public 
scoping meetings.
    The action the BIA is considering--accepting title to the property 
in trust, and declaring the land to be the Tribe's reservation--is a 
federal undertaking with the potential to affect historic properties. 
As such, it is subject to the requirements of section 106 of the 
National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 (16 U.S.C. 470f.). In 
accordance with regulations issued by the Advisory Council on Historic 
Preservation, 36 CFR part 800, the BIA intends to coordinate compliance 
with section 106 of this Act with the preparation of the EIS, beginning 
with the identification of consulting parties through the scoping 
process, in a manner consistent with the standards set out in 36 CFR 
800.8(c)(1).

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, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., 
Monday through Friday, except holidays. Before including your address, 
phone number, e-mail 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 us in your comment to withhold 
your personal identifying information from public review, we cannot 
guarantee that we will be able to do so.

Authority

    This notice is published under authority delegated to the Assistant 
Secretary--Indian Affairs by 209 DM 8.1 and in accordance with the 
following:

--The Council on Environmental Quality Regulations (40 CFR 1503.1 and 
1506.6);
--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).

    Dated: February 14, 2008.
Carl J. Artman,
Assistant Secretary, Indian Affairs.
 [FR Doc. E8-4353 Filed 3-5-08; 8:45 am]
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