[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 3 (Wednesday, January 6, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 511-512]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-33247]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Indian Affairs
[167 A2100DD/AAKC001030/A0A501010.999900]
Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for
the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation's Proposed Trust Acquisition and
Gaming Facility Project, DeKalb County, Illinois
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, and the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation
(Nation) as cooperating agency, intend to gather information necessary
to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) in connection with
the Nation's application for the proposed acquisition in trust by the
United States of approximately 129 acres for construction and operation
of a gaming facility in DeKalb County, Illinois. This notice also opens
public scoping to identify potential issues, concerns and alternatives
to be considered in the EIS.
DATES: The date and location of the public meeting will be announced at
least 15 days in advance through a notice in the Daily Chronicle and
the Midweek and on the following Web site: www.prairiebandeis.com.
Written comments on the DEIS must arrive within 45 days after EPA
publishes its Notice of Availability.
ADDRESSES: You may mail or hand-deliver written comments to Diane
Rosen, Regional Director, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Midwest Region,
Norman Pointe II Building, 5600 W. American Blvd., Suite 500,
Bloomington, Minnesota 55437. Please include your name, return address,
and ``NOI Comments, Prairie Band Project'' on the first page of your
written comments.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Scott Doig, Acting Regional
Environmental Scientist, at the address above, or at telephone (612)
725-4514, email [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Nation submitted a request to the
Department of the Interior for the placement of approximately 129 acres
of fee land in trust by the United States upon which the Nation would
construct a class II gaming facility. The property is located in DeKalb
County just southeast of the town of Shabbona, IL. The gaming facility
would consist of a class II gaming area, restaurants and lounges, a
multi-purpose room that could be used for entertainment, meetings, and
other purposes, and surface parking for cars and buses. The property is
comprised of two parcels: an approximately 128-acre parcel currently
used for farming (Parcel ID Index 13-23-200-001), on which the gaming
facility would be built, and a 30,020 square foot parcel on which a
house sits (Parcel ID Index 13-23-128-002). The purpose of the proposed
action is to acquire land in trust that was historically reserved for
Chief Shab-eh-nay and his Band of Potawatomis by treaty, and to
facilitate economic development so that the Tribal government can
better provide housing, health care, education, cultural
[[Page 512]]
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 economic development
project, including approval of the Nation's fee-to-trust application.
The EIS will identify and evaluate issues related to these approvals,
and will also evaluate a range of reasonable alternatives, including a
no action alternative. Other possible alternatives currently under
consideration are a reduced-intensity gaming facility alternative, an
alternate-use (non-gaming) alternative and an off-site alternative. The
range of issues and alternatives may be revised 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/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. Additional information,
including a map of the project site, is available by contacting the
person listed in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION 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 Regulations (43 CFR part
46), and is in the exercise of authority delegated to the Assistant
Secretary--Indian Affairs by 209 DM 8.
Dated: December 21, 2015.
Kevin K. Washburn,
Assistant Secretary--Indian Affairs.
[FR Doc. 2015-33247 Filed 1-5-16; 8:45 am]
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