[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 251 (Friday, December 30, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 96477-96478]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-31724]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Indian Affairs

[167A2100DD/AAKC001030/A0A501010.999900]


Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for 
the Tule River Tribe's Proposed Fee-to-Trust and Eagle Mountain Casino 
Relocation Project, Tulare County, California

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, intends to gather information necessary 
for preparing an environmental impact statement (EIS) in connection 
with the Tule River Tribe's (Tribe) proposed Eagle Mountain Casino 
Relocation Project in Tulare County, California. This notice also opens 
public scoping to identify potential issues, concerns and alternatives 
to be considered in the EIS.

DATES: To ensure consideration during the development of the EIS, 
written comments on the scope of the EIS should be sent as soon as 
possible and no later than January 30, 2017. The date of the public 
scoping meeting will be announced at least 15 days in advance through a 
notice to be published in the local newspaper (Porterville Recorder) 
and online at http://www.tulerivereis.com.

ADDRESSES: You may mail or hand-deliver written comments to Ms. Amy 
Dutschke, Regional Director, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Pacific Region, 
2800 Cottage Way, Sacramento, California 95825. Please include your 
name, return address, and ``NOI Comments, Tule River Tribe Casino 
Relocation Project'' on the first page of your written comments. You 
may also submit comments through email to Mr. John Rydzik, Chief, 
Division of Environmental, Cultural Resource Management and Safety, 
Bureau of Indian Affairs, at [email protected]. If emailing comments, 
please use ``NOI Comments, Tule River Tribe Casino Relocation Project'' 
as the subject of your email.
    The location of the public scoping meeting will be announced at 
least 15 days in advance through a notice to be published in the local 
newspaper (Porterville Recorder) and online at http://www.tulerivereis.com.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. John Rydzik, Chief, Division of 
Environmental, Cultural Resource Management and Safety, Bureau of 
Indian Affairs, Pacific Regional Office, 2800 Cottage Way, Room W-2820, 
Sacramento, California 95825; telephone: (916) 978-6051; email: 
[email protected]. Information is also available online at http://www.tulerivereis.com.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Tribe submitted an application to the 
Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) requesting the placement of 
approximately 40 acres of fee land in trust by the United States upon 
which the Tribe would construct a casino resort. The facility would 
include an approximately 105,000 square foot casino, an approximately 
250-room hotel, approximately 36,000 square feet of food and beverage 
facilities, administrative space, a multi-purpose events center, a 
conference center, and associated parking and infrastructure. The new 
facility would replace the Tribe's existing casino, and the existing 
casino buildings would be converted to tribal government or service 
uses. Accordingly, the proposed action for the Department is the 
acquisition requested by the Tribe. The proposed fee-to-trust property 
is located within the boundaries of the City of Porterville, in Tulare 
County, California, adjacent to the Porterville Airport and 
approximately 15 miles west of the Tule River Tribe Reservation. The 
proposed trust property includes 17 parcels, bound by West Street on 
the west, an off-highway vehicle park (OHV) owned by the City of 
Porterville to the north and east, and a photovoltaic power station 
(solar farm) to the south. The Assessor's parcel numbers (APNs) for the 
property are 302-400-001 through 302-400-017. The purpose of the 
proposed action is to improve the economic status of the tribal 
government so it can better provide housing, health care, education, 
cultural programs, and other services to its members.
    The proposed action encompasses the various Federal approvals which 
may be required to implement the Tribe's proposed project, including 
approval of

[[Page 96478]]

the Tribe's fee-to-trust application and a secretarial determination 
pursuant to Section 2719(b)(1)(A) of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act. 
The EIS will identify and evaluate issues related to these approvals, 
and will also evaluate a range of reasonable alternatives. Possible 
alternatives currently under consideration include: (1) An expanded 
site alternative that involves acquiring additional adjacent fee-land 
into trust for the development of ancillary infrastructure and overflow 
parking; (2) a reduced-intensity casino alternative; (3) an alternate-
use (non-casino) alternative; and (4) an alternative involving 
expansion of the Tribe's existing casino. The range of issues and 
alternatives may be expanded based on comments received during the 
scoping process.
    Areas of environmental concern identified for analysis in the EIS 
include land resources; water resources; air quality; noise; biological 
resources; cultural/historical/archaeological resources; resource use 
patterns; traffic and transportation; public health and safety; 
hazardous materials and hazardous wastes; public services and 
utilities; socioeconomics; environmental justice; visual resources/
aesthetics; and cumulative, indirect, and growth-inducing effects. The 
range of issues and alternatives to be addressed in the EIS may be 
expanded or reduced based on comments received in response to this 
notice and at the public scoping meeting. Additional information, 
including a map of the proposed trust property, is available by 
contacting the person listed in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT 
section of this notice.
    Public Comment Availability: Comments, including names and 
addresses of respondents, will be available for public review at the 
BIA 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, telephone number, email 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 in your comment that your personal identifying information be 
withheld from public review, the BIA cannot guarantee that this will 
occur.
    Authority: This notice is published in accordance with sections 
1503.1 and 1506.6 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. 4321-4345 et seq.), and the Department of the 
Interior National Environmental Policy Act Implementation Policy (43 
CFR part 46), and is in the exercise of authority delegated to the 
Assistant Secretary--Indian Affairs by 209 DM 8.

    Dated: December 22, 2016.
Lawrence S. Roberts,
Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary--Indian Affairs.
[FR Doc. 2016-31724 Filed 12-29-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4337-15-P