[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 105 (Friday, May 30, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 31143-31144]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-12105]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Indian Affairs


Final Environmental Impact Statement for the Cowlitz Indian 
Tribe's Proposed 151.87-Acre Fee-to-Trust Transfer, Reservation 
Proclamation, and Casino-Resort Project, Clark County, WA

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 Cowlitz Indian Tribe (Tribe), 
National Indian Gaming Commission (NIGC), Federal Highway 
Administration, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Washington Department of 
Transportation, Clark County, Clark County Sheriff's Office, Cowlitz 
County, City of La Center, City of Vancouver, City of Ridgefield, Port 
of Ridgefield, City of Woodland and City of Battle Ground as 
cooperating agencies, intends to file a Final Environmental Impact 
Statement (FEIS) with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for the 
Tribe's proposed 151.87-acre fee-to-trust transfer, reservation 
proclamation, and casino-resort project in Clark County, Washington. 
The proposed action would include approval by the NIGC of a gaming 
management contract. The FEIS is now available to the public and is 
part of the administrative process that evaluates tribal applications 
that seek to have the United States take land

[[Page 31144]]

into trust pursuant to 25 U.S.C. 465, 25 CFR part 151, and 25 U.S.C. 
2719(b)(1)(B).

DATES: The Record of Decision on the proposed action will be issued on 
or after July 1, 2008. Any comments on the FEIS must arrive by June 30, 
2008.

ADDRESSES: You may mail or hand carry written comments to Mr. Stanley 
Speaks, Northwest Regional Director, Bureau of Indian Affairs, 
Northwest Region, 911 NE. 11th Avenue, Portland, Oregon 97232. Please 
include your name, return address and the caption, ``FEIS Comments, 
Cowlitz Indian Tribe Trust Acquisition and Casino Project,'' on the 
first page of your written comments.
    The FEIS will be available for public review at the following Fort 
Vancouver Public Library branches: La Center Community Library, 1402 
East Lockwood Creek Road, La Center, Washington 98629; Ridgefield 
Community Library, 210 North Main Avenue, Ridgefield, Washington 98642. 
General information for the Fort Vancouver Public Library system can be 
obtained by calling (360) 695-1561. The FEIS is also available on the 
following Web site: http://www.cowlitzeis.org.
    To obtain copies of the FEIS, please provide your name and address 
in writing or by voicemail to Dr. B.J. Howerton, Environmental 
Protection Specialist, at the BIA address above or at the telephone 
number provided below.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: B.J. Howerton, (503) 231-6749.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Tribe has requested that the BIA take 
151.87 acres into trust on behalf of the Tribe, on which the Tribe 
proposes to develop a casino-resort complex, parking facilities, 
recreational vehicle park, tribal headquarters, tribal elder housing, 
tribal cultural center, and wastewater treatment plant. The project 
site encompasses eight contiguous tax lots in Clark County, Washington, 
near the cities of La Center and Ridgefield. Regional access to the 
project site is provided via Interstate 5 at the NW. 319th Street 
Interchange. NW. 319th Street would provide primary access to the 
casino-resort complex and tribal government facilities. The street, 
however, would be realigned to a more southerly location within the 
proposed project site to allow development of the casino and hotel 
facilities north of NW. 319th Street without encroachment into wetlands 
and wetland buffer areas.
    Project alternatives considered in the FEIS include: (1) Preferred 
casino-resort complex; (2) preferred casino-resort complex without re-
routing NW. 319th Street; (3) reduced intensity complex; (4) business 
park; (5) casino-resort complex at the Ridgefield Interchange Site; and 
(6) no action. The alternatives are intended to assist the review of 
the issues presented, but the Preferred Alternative does not 
necessarily reflect what the final decision will be, because a complete 
evaluation of the criteria listed in 25 CFR Part 151 may lead to a 
final decision that selects an alternative other than the Preferred 
Alternative, including no action, or that selects a variant of the 
Preferred Alternative or another of the alternatives analyzed in the 
FEIS.
    Environmental issues addressed in the FEIS include geology and 
soils, water resources, air quality, biological resources, cultural and 
paleontological resources, socioeconomic conditions (including 
environmental justice), transportation and circulation, land use, 
public services, noise, hazardous materials, aesthetics, cumulative 
effects, indirect effects and mitigation measures.
    The BIA has afforded other government agencies and the public 
extensive opportunity to participate in the preparation of this EIS. 
The BIA published a notice of intent to prepare the EIS for the 
proposed action in the Federal Register on November 12, 2004 (69 FR 
43431). The BIA held a public scoping meeting on December 1, 2004, in 
the City of Vancouver. A Notice of Availability for the Draft EIS was 
published in the Federal Register on April 14, 2006 (71 FR 10055). The 
Draft EIS was available for public comment from April 14 to July 14, 
2006. In response to public requests, the comment period was re-opened 
from August 4 to August 25, 2006, for a total public comment period of 
145 days. The BIA held two public hearings on the Draft EIS, one on 
June 14, 2006, and one on June 15, 2006, in the City of Vancouver.

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 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. 
4371 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.

    Dated: May 21, 2008.
Carl J. Artman,
Assistant Secretary--Indian Affairs.
[FR Doc. E8-12105 Filed 5-29-08; 8:45 am]
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