[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 49 (Monday, March 14, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Page 13418]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-05604]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Indian Gaming Commission


Notice of Availability of a Draft Supplemental Environmental 
Impact Statement for the Jamul Indian Village Proposed Gaming 
Management Agreement, San Diego County, California

AGENCY: National Indian Gaming Commission (NIGC), Interior.

ACTION: Notice of Availability (NOA).

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SUMMARY: In accordance with Section 102(2)(C) of the National 
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the NIGC, in cooperation with the 
Jamul Indian Village has prepared a Draft Supplemental Environmental 
Impact Statement (Draft SEIS) for the proposed Gaming Management 
Agreement (GMA) between the Jamul Indian Village (JIV) and San Diego 
Gaming Ventures (SDGV). If approved, the GMA would allow SDGV to assume 
responsibility for operation and management of the JIV Gaming Facility 
located in San Diego County, California. The Draft SEIS addresses the 
effects of GMA approval and the No Action Alternative, which assumes no 
GMA, is approved. The SEIS also updates the environmental baseline 
given the time that has passed and the changes that have been made to 
the scope of the Proposed Action, which was originally addressed in the 
2003 Final EIS.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further information or to request 
a copy of the Draft SEIS, please contact: John R. Hay, Associate 
General Counsel, National Indian Gaming Commission Office of the 
General Counsel 1849 C Street NW., Mail Stop #1621, Washington, DC 
20240 Phone: 202-632-7003: Facsimile: 202-632-7066: email: 
[email protected].
    Availability of the Draft SEIS: The Draft SEIS is available for 
public review at the following locations:

--The Rancho San Diego Public Library, 11555 Via Rancho San Diego, El 
Cajon, CA 92019, telephone (619) 660-5370; and
--The Jamul Indian Village Tribal Office, 14191 #16 Highway 94, Jamul, 
CA 91935, telephone (619) 669-4785.

    Copies of the Draft SEIS will also be available for download from 
the Tribe's Web site www.jamulindianvillage.com.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The JIV Reservation is located in the 
unincorporated portion of southwestern San Diego County approximately 
one mile south of the community of Jamul on approximately six-acres of 
land held in federal trust. State Route 94 (SR-94) provides regional 
access to the JIV from downtown San Diego, which is located 
approximately 20 miles to the west where it intersects with Highway 5. 
Local access to the JIV is provided directly from SR-94 via Daisy 
Drive. From the JIV, SR-94 travels briefly north and then west to 
Downtown San Diego, passing through the unincorporated communities of 
Jamul, Casa de Oro, Spring Valley and Lemon Grove.
    In 2000, JIV proposed a fee-to-trust land acquisition, construction 
and operation of a gaming complex and approval of a gaming development 
and management agreement for operation of the JIV Gaming Facility. The 
proposal was evaluated in a Final EIS prepared in 2003. Since that 
time, several major items have been removed from JIV's overall 
development program and the Gaming Facility has been redesigned to fit 
entirely within the existing JIV Reservation. All environmental effects 
of the Gaming Facility redesign have been evaluated through preparation 
of a Final Tribal Environmental Evaluation, which was prepared in 
accordance with the 1999 Tribal/State Compact. No action is before the 
BIA due to no fee-to-trust component of the JIV proposal. An action 
from the NIGC is required; specifically, approval or disapproval of the 
GMA. That approval or disapproval is the Proposed Action evaluated in 
the Draft SEIS.
    In addition to the Proposed Action, the Draft SEIS addresses the No 
Action Alternative, which assumes no approval of the GMA between JIV 
and SDGV. Under the No Project scenario, JIV would assume operation and 
management responsibilities of the Jamul Gaming Facility. The NIGC may, 
in its Record of Decision, select the No Project Alternative rather 
than the Proposed Action.
    This Draft SEIS updates environmental conditions in the affected 
area given the amount of time that has passed since the 2003 Final EIS. 
Environmental issues addressed within the Draft SEIS include land 
resources, water resources, air quality, biological resources, 
cultural/paleontological resources, socioeconomic conditions, 
transportation, land use, public services, hazardous materials, noise, 
and visual resources. The Draft SEIS examines the direct, indirect, and 
cumulative effects of each alternative on these resources. The NIGC 
published a Notice of Intent (NOI) in the Federal Register on April 10, 
2013, describing the Proposed Action, announcing the NIGC's intent to 
prepare a Draft SEIS for the Proposed Action, and inviting comments. 
The Draft SEIS is made available to federal, Tribal, state, and local 
agencies and other interested parties for review and comment.
    Submittal of Written Comments: You may mail, email, hand-carry or 
telefax written comments to NIGC, Attn: John Hay, Associate General 
Counsel, c/o Department of the Interior, 1849 C Street NW., Mail Stop 
#1621, Washington, DC 20240 email: [email protected]. Please include 
your name, return address, and the caption: ``Draft SEIS Comments, 
Jamul Indian Village,'' on the first page of your written comments. In 
order to be fully considered, written comments on the Draft SEIS must 
be postmarked by April 28, 2016.
    Commenting individuals 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 comments. Such requests 
will be honored to the extent allowed by law. Anonymous comments will 
not, however, be considered. All submissions from organizations or 
businesses, and from individuals identifying themselves as 
representatives or officials of organizations or businesses, will be 
made available to public in their entirety.

    Authority: This notice is published in accordance with 25 U.S.C. 
2711, section 1503.1 of the Council on Environmental Quality 
Regulations (40 CFR parts 1500 through 1508), and the Department of 
the Interior regulations (43 CFR part 46), implementing the 
procedural requirements of NEPA, as amended (42 U.S.C. 4321 et 
seq.).

    Dated: March 8, 2016.
Shannon O'Loughlin,
Chief of Staff.
[FR Doc. 2016-05604 Filed 3-11-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 7565-01-P