[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 68 (Friday, April 8, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 19783-19784]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-8035]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Indian Affairs


Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Proposed Pueblo of 
Jemez 70.277-Acre Fee-to-Trust Transfer and Casino Project, Do[ntilde]a 
Ana County, NM

AGENCY: Bureau of Indian Affairs, Department of the Interior.

ACTION: Notice of availability.

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SUMMARY: This notice advises the public that the Bureau of Indian 
Affairs (BIA), as lead agency, in cooperation with the Pueblo of Jemez, 
intends to file a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) with the 
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for the proposed approval of 
a 70.277 acre fee-to-trust transfer and casino project to be located 
within Do[ntilde]a Ana County, New Mexico. Details on the proposed 
action, location, and areas of environmental concern addressed in the 
DEIS are provided in the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of this 
notice. This notice also announces a public hearing to receive comments 
on the DEIS.

DATES: Written comments on the DEIS must arrive by May 23, 2011. The 
public hearing on the DEIS will be held on Saturday, April 30, 2011, 
from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., or until the last public comment is received.

ADDRESSES: You may mail or hand-carry written comments to William 
Walker, Regional Director, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Southwest Regional 
Office, 1001 Indian School Road, NW., Albuquerque, New Mexico 87104. 
The public hearing will be held at the Loma Linda Elementary School, 
1451 Donaldson Avenue, Anthony, New Mexico 88021. See the SUPPLEMENTARY 
INFORMATION section of this notice for locations where the DEIS is 
available for review and for directions on submitting comments.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Priscilla Wade (505) 563-3417.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Pueblo of Jemez proposes that 70.277 
acres, within a 102.13-acre tract of land, be taken into trust and that 
a temporary and a permanent casino be constructed on these trust lands. 
In addition, a hotel is proposed for construction on the 31.855-acres 
remaining in fee status. The proposed site is located on the southwest 
corner of Interstate 10 and New Mexico State Road 404 (O'Hara Road), 
adjacent to the City of Anthony in Do[ntilde]a Ana County, New Mexico. 
The Pueblo of Jemez, through its Tribal Gaming Enterprise, will operate 
the casino facility. The BIA is the lead agency for the DEIS on this 
project. There are no cooperating agencies. A public scoping meeting 
for the DEIS was held by the BIA on March 16, 2005, in Anthony, New 
Mexico.
    The Pueblo proposes to build and operate a 24,000-square foot 
temporary casino while building a permanent gaming facility with a 
planned 103,500 total square feet on trust-acquired land that is 
adjacent to a proposed 90,000 square-foot hotel facility located on fee 
land. Access to the facilities would be from O'Hara Road and the west 
frontage road along I-10. The temporary and permanent casinos and hotel 
would include associated parking.
    Environmental issues addressed in the DEIS include land and water 
resources, air quality, biological resources, cultural resources, 
socio-economic conditions, resource use patterns, public services, 
noise, hazardous materials, visual resources, environmental justice, 
growth-inducing effects, cumulative impacts, and unavoidable adverse 
effects. Alternatives to the proposed project considered in the DEIS 
include: (1) Trust Acquisition with temporary and permanent casino, and 
hotel construction; (2) Trust Acquisition with permanent casino and 
hotel construction; and (3) No Action.
    Directions for Submitting Comments: Please include your name, 
return address and the caption, ``DEIS Comments, Pueblo of Jemez 
Proposed 70.277-acre Fee-to-Trust Transfer and Casino Project'' on the 
first page of your written comments.
    Locations where the DEIS is Available for Review: The DEIS is 
available for review at the following locations.

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                                                     For information on
          Location                   Address         the location, call:
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City of Anthony City Hall...  320 Lincoln Street,   (575) 882-2983.
                               Anthony, New Mexico
                               88021.
Pueblo of Jemez               4471 Highway 4,       (575) 834-7359
 Administrative Office.        Pueblo of Jemez,      (contact: Ashley
                               New Mexico 87024.     Chinana).
BIA Southwest Regional        1001 Indian School    (505) 563-3417.
 Office.                       Road, NW.,
                               Albuquerque, New
                               Mexico 87104.
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[[Page 19784]]

The DEIS is also available for public review on the following Web 
sites:

     http://www.anthonycasinofacts.com, and
     http://www.jemezpueblo.org.

If you would like to obtain a CD copy of the DEIS, please write or call 
Priscilla Wade, Regional Environmental Protection Specialist, Bureau of 
Indian Affairs, Division of Environmental, Safety, and Cultural 
Resources Management, Southwest Regional Office, 1001 Indian School 
Road, NW., Albuquerque, New Mexico 87104.

    Public Comment Availability: Comments, including names and 
addresses of respondents, will be available for public review at the 
BIA mailing address shown in the ADDRESSES section of this notice, 
during regular business hours, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through 
Friday, except holidays. Before including your address, telephone 
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 pursuant to Sec. 1503.1 of 
the Council of Environmental Quality Regulations (40 CFR part 1500 
through 1508) and Sec. 46.305 of the Department of Interior 
Regulations (43 CFR part 46), implementing the procedural 
requirements of the NEPA of 1969, as amended (42 U.S.C. 4371 et 
seq.), and is in the exercise of authority delegated to the 
Assistant Secretary--Indian Affairs by 209 DM 8.

    Dated: March 25, 2011.
Jodi Gillette,
Deputy Assistant Secretary--Indian Affairs.
[FR Doc. 2011-8035 Filed 4-7-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-W7-P