[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 22 (Friday, February 1, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 7448-7449]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-02158]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Indian Affairs
Final Environmental Impact Statement for the Proposed Spokane
Tribe of Indians West Plains Casino and Mixed Use Project, City of
Airway Heights, Spokane County, WA
AGENCY: Bureau of Indian Affairs, 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, with the Spokane Tribe of Indians
(Tribe), National Indian Gaming Commission (NIGC), Washington State
Department of Transportation (WSDOT), the City of Airway Heights
(City), Spokane County, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and
the U.S. Department of the Air force (Air Force) serving as cooperating
agencies, intends to file a Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS)
with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for the Spokane
Tribe of Indians West Plains Casino and Mixed Use Project, City of
Airway Heights, Spokane County, Washington, and that the FEIS is now
available for public review.
DATES: The Record of Decision on the proposed action will be issued on
or after 30 days from the date the EPA publishes its Notice of
Availability in the Federal Register. Any comments on the FEIS must
arrive on or before 30 days following the date the EPA publishes its
Notice of Availability in the Federal Register.
ADDRESSES: You may mail or hand deliver written comments to Mr. Stanley
Speaks, Northwest Regional Director, Bureau of Indian Affairs,
Northwest Region, 911 Northeast 11th Avenue, Portland, Oregon 97232.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. B.J. Howerton, Bureau of Indian
Affairs, Northwest Region, 911 Northeast 11th Avenue, Portland, Oregon
97232; fax (503) 231-2275; phone (503) 231-6749.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background: The Tribe has requested that the Secretary of the
Interior issue a two-part determination under Section 20 of the Indian
Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA) for Class III gaming on 145 acres held in
Federal trust for the Tribe in the City of Airway Heights adjacent to
the unincorporated West Plains area of Spokane County, Washington. The
project site is located immediately northwest of the intersection of
U.S. Highway 2 (S-2) and Craig Road.
The Proposed Project consists of the following components: (1)
Issuance of a
[[Page 7449]]
two-part determination by the Secretary of the Interior; and (2)
development of a casino-resort facility, parking structure, site
retail, commercial building, tribal cultural center, and police/fire
station within the project site. At full build-out, the proposed
casino-resort facility would have approximately 98,442 square-feet of
gaming floor and a 300-room hotel. The hotel tower would not exceed 145
feet above ground level. Access to the project site would be provided
via three driveways along US-2 and three driveways along Craig Road.
The following alternatives are considered in the FEIS: (1) Proposed
Casino and Mixed-Use Development; (2) Reduced Casino and Mixed-Use
Development; (3) Non-Gaming Mixed-Use Development; and (4) No Action/No
Development. Environmental issues addressed in the FEIS include geology
and soils, water resources, air quality, biological resources, cultural
and paleontological resources, socioeconomic conditions (including
environmental justice), transportation and circulation, land use,
public services, noise, hazardous materials, aesthetics, cumulative
effects, and indirect and growth inducing effects.
The BIA serves as the Lead Agency for compliance with the National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The BIA has afforded other government
agencies and the public extensive opportunity to participate in the
preparation of the FEIS. The BIA held a public scoping meeting for the
project on September 16, 2009, in the City of Airway Heights,
Washington. A Notice of Availability for the Draft EIS was published in
the Federal Register on March 2, 2012 (77 FR 12873) and announced a 45-
day review period ending on April 16, 2012. In response to public
requests, the BIA published a notice of the reopening of the comment
period in the Federal Register on April 26, 2012 (77 FR 24976). The
extended comment period ended on May 16, 2012. The total comment period
for the Draft EIS was 75 days. The BIA held a public hearing on the
Draft EIS on March 26, 2012, in the City of Airway Heights.
Directions for Submitting Comments: Please include your name,
return address, and the caption: ``FEIS Comments, Spokane Tribe of
Indians West Plains Development Project,'' on the first page of your
written comments.
Locations where the FEIS is Available for Review: The FEIS will be
available for review at the BIA Spokane Agency Office located at Agency
Square Road, Building 201, Wellpinit, Washington 99040; the Airway
Heights Branch of the Spokane County Library District located at 1213
South Lundstrom Street, Airway Heights, Washington 99001; and the
Spokane Public Library located at 906 West Main Street, Spokane,
Washington 99201. The FEIS is also available online at: http://www.westplainseis.com.
To obtain a compact disk copy of the FEIS, please provide your name
and address in writing or by voicemail to Dr. B.J. Howerton,
Environmental Protection Specialist, Bureau of Indian Affairs,
Northwest Regional Office. Contact information is listed in the FOR
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section of this notice. Individual paper
copies of the FEIS will be provided upon payment of applicable printing
expenses by the requestor for the number of copies requested.
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, 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 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 parts 1500
through 1508) and Department of the Interior Regulations (43 CFR
part 46), implementing the procedural requirements of the NEPA of
l969, 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: September 20, 2012.
Donald E. Laverdure,
Assistant Secretary, Indian Affairs.
[FR Doc. 2013-02158 Filed 1-31-13; 8:45 am]
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