[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 130 (Monday, July 8, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 55975-55976]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-14816]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Indian Affairs

[245A2100DD/AAKC001030/A0A501010.999900]


Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for 
the Nisqually Indian Tribe's Proposed Fee-To-Trust and Casino Project, 
City of Lacey, Thurston County, Washington

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) pursuant to the 
National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) in connection with the 
Nisqually Indian Tribe (Tribe) proposed Fee-to-Trust and Casino Project 
in the City of Lacey, Thurston County, Washington for gaming and other 
purposes (Quiemuth Casino-Resort Property). 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 30 days after publication of this Notice of 
Intent (NOI) in the Federal Register. The time and 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 and online.

ADDRESSES: You may mail written comments to Bryan Mercier, Regional 
Director, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Northwest Region, 911 NE 11th 
Avenue, Portland, Oregon 97232. Please include your name, return 
address, and ``NOI Comments, Nisqually Indian Tribe Fee-to-Trust and 
Casino Project'' on the first page of your written comments. You may 
also submit comments through email to Tobiah Mogavero, NEPA 
Coordinator, Bureau of Indian Affairs, at: [email protected], 
using ``NOI Comments, Nisqually Indian Tribe Fee-to-Trust and Casino 
Project'' as the subject of your email.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Tobiah Mogavero, NEPA Coordinator, 
Bureau of Indian Affairs, Northwest Region, (435) 210-0509, 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Nisqually Indian Tribe submitted a Fee-
to-Trust application to the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) requesting 
the placement of approximately 74.2 acres of fee land in trust by the 
United States upon which the Nisqually Indian Tribe would construct a 
casino resort. The Tribe proposes to develop a casino-resort with an 
event/multi-purpose center, cultural center/museum with Tribal lawn, 
and associated infrastructure. The proposed fee-to-trust property is 
located within the boundaries of the City of Lacey, Thurston County, 
Washington. The proposed trust property is comprised of tax parcels 
numbers 11810101100 and 11810101102. The purpose of the proposed action 
is to improve the economic status of the Tribal government so that it 
can provide comprehensive services and ensure the continued social and 
economic independence and well-being of its Tribal members.
    The proposed action encompasses the various federal approvals that 
may be required to implement the Nisqually Tribe's proposed project, 
including approval of the Nisqually Tribe's Fee-to-Trust application 
and Secretarial Determination pursuant to section 20(b)(1)(A) of the 
Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (25 U.S.C. 2719(b)(1)(A)). 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) a reduced-intensity casino 
alternative, and (2) an alternate-use (non-gaming) alternative. The 
range of alternatives evaluated in the EIS may be expanded based on 
comments received during the scoping process.
    Areas of environmental concern preliminarily identified for 
analysis in the EIS include land resources; water resources; air 
quality; noise; biological resources; cultural/historic/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 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 
included as part of the administrative record and Scoping Report for 
the EIS. 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.

[[Page 55976]]

Authority

    This notice is published pursuant to section 1503.1 of the Council 
of Environmental Quality Regulations (40 CFR part 1500 through 1508) 
and section 46.305 of the Department of the 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. This notice is also published in accordance with 40 CFR 93.155, 
which provides reporting requirements for conformity determinations.

Bryan Newland,
Assistant Secretary--Indian Affairs.
[FR Doc. 2024-14816 Filed 7-5-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4337-15-P