[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 143 (Tuesday, July 26, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 48841-48842]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-17589]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Indian Gaming Commission


Update to Notice of Availability of a Final 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).

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: In accordance with Section 102(2)(C) of the National 
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) 42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq., the NIGC, in 
cooperation with the Jamul Indian Village has prepared a Final 
Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (Final 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 Final 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 Final SEIS, please contact: Andrew Mendoza, Staff 
Attorney, 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: Andrew 
[email protected].
    Availability of the Final SEIS: The Final SEIS is available for 
public review at the following locations:
    The Rancho San Diego Public Library, 11555 Via Rancho San Diego, El 
Cajon,

[[Page 48842]]

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 Final 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 Final SEIS.
    In addition to the Proposed Action, the Final SEIS addresses the No 
Action Alternative, which assumes no approval of the GMA between JIV 
and SDGV. Under the No Action scenario, JIV would assume operation and 
management responsibilities of the Jamul Gaming Facility. The NIGC may, 
in its Record of Decision, select the No Action Alternative rather than 
the Proposed Action.
    This Final 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 Final 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 Final 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 EIS Notice of Availability (NOA) was published in the 
Federal Register by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on 
April 8, 2016 and the Draft SEIS was made available to federal, Tribal, 
state, and local agencies and other interested parties for review and 
comment. The comment period was open for 45 days after the date of 
publication in the Federal Register and closed on May 23, 2016. A total 
of nine comment letters were received. All comments received by the 
NIGC were considered and addressed in the Final SEIS, however, no 
substantive changes were made.
    The EPA published the NOA of the Final SEIS in the Federal Register 
on July 8, 2016 The Chairman of the NIGC will prepare and sign the 
record of decision (ROD) to announce his final decision on the GMA 
between the JIV and SDGV following the August 8, 2016 conclusion of the 
30 day public comment and review period. Availability of the ROD will 
be announced to the media and the project mailing list, and the ROD 
itself will be made available online.
    Submittal of Written Comments: You may mail or email, written 
comments to NIGC, Attn: Andrew Mendoza, Staff Attorney, c/o Department 
of the Interior, 1849 C Street NW., Mail Stop #1621, Washington, DC 
20240 email: Andrew [email protected]. Please include your name, return 
address, and the caption: ''Final SEIS Comments, Jamul Indian 
Village,'' on the first page of your written comments. In order to be 
fully considered, written comments on the Final SEIS must be postmarked 
by August 8, 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.l 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: July 20, 2016.
Michael Hoenig,
General Counsel.
[FR Doc. 2016-17589 Filed 7-25-16; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7565-01-P