[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 167 (Tuesday, August 30, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 51363-51364]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-17167]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Indian Affairs


Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for 
the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Reservation of Oregon 
Proposed Trust Acquisition and Resort and Casino Project, Cascade 
Locks, Hood River County, OR

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, in cooperation with the Confederated 
Tribes of the Warm Springs Reservation of Oregon (Tribes), intends to 
prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for a proposed 25-acre 
trust acquisition and resort and casino project, including 
transportation system improvements, to be located within the city of 
Cascade Locks, Hood River County, Oregon. Other cooperating agencies 
include the Oregon Department of Transportation, the city of Cascade 
Locks, the port of Cascade Locks, Hood River County and, because of 
proposed transportation system improvements to Interstate 84, the 
Federal Highway Administration. The purpose of the proposed action is 
to improve the economy of the Tribes and help their members attain 
economic self-sufficiency. This notice also announces public scoping 
meetings to identify potential issues and alternatives to be considered 
in the EIS.

DATES: Written comments on the scope of the EIS or implementation of 
the proposal must arrive by September 30, 2005.
    Public scoping meetings will be held on the following dates and 
times:
    1. September 15, 2005, 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., Cascade Locks, Oregon.
    2. September 17, 2005, 9:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., Cascade Locks, 
Oregon.
    3. September 19, 2005, 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., Portland, Oregon.
    4. September 21, 2005, 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., Hood River, Oregon.
    5. September 28, 2005, 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., Stevenson, Washington.

ADDRESSES: You may mail or hand carry written comments to Ms. June 
Boynton, Environmental Protection Specialist, Division of Environment, 
Safety, and Cultural Resources Management, Bureau of Indian Affairs, 
911 Northeast 11th Avenue, Portland, Oregon 97232. You may also fax 
your comments to (503) 231-6791, or submit them electronically at the 
project Web site, www.gorgecasinoEIS.com. (Note: BIA cannot receive 
electronic comments directly via e-mail at this time.) Please include 
your name, return address, and the caption, ``DEIS Scoping Comments, 
Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Reservation of Oregon Trust 
Acquisition and Resort/Casino Project,'' on the first page of your 
written comments.
    The locations of the public scoping meetings are as follows:
    1. Cascade Locks--Port of Cascade Locks Gorge Pavilion, Marine 
Park, 355 Wa-Na-Pa Street, Cascade Locks, Oregon.
    2. Cascade Locks--Port of Cascade Locks Gorge Pavilion, Marine 
Park, 355 Wa-Na-Pa Street, Cascade Locks, Oregon.
    3. Portland--Benson High School Cafeteria, 546 NE 12th Avenue, 
Portland, Oregon.
    4. Hood River--Hood River Inn, 1108 East Marina Way, Hood River, 
Oregon.
    5. Stevenson--Rock Creek Center, 710 SW Rock Creek Drive, 
Stevenson, Washington.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: June Boynton, (503) 231-6749.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Bureau of Indian Affairs is considering 
the Tribes' application for 25 acres of land to be taken into trust for 
the development of gaming and related entertainment facilities. The 25 
acres proposed for trust acquisition are part of a 60-acre tract 
located at the eastern edge of the city of Cascade Locks in Hood River 
County, Oregon.
    The EIS will include an evaluation of alternatives for meeting the 
proposed facilities' access needs from Interstate 84. The 
transportation analysis will include all reasonable alternatives for 
access from Interstate 84, including modifying or eliminating the 
existing partial interchanges known as Herman Creek Interchange and 
East Cascade Locks Interchange. The EIS will also analyze a new 
interchange at Forest Lane. Although the eventual size and scope of the 
facilities may be modified based on information obtained through

[[Page 51364]]

the EIS process, the Tribes' current proposal for the new gaming 
facility, on acquired trust land, would have a 90,000-square-foot 
gaming floor connected to retail shops, dining venues, and a 250-room 
hotel and spa. The facility would provide parking for 3,600 vehicles, 
including a parking garage and spaces for oversized vehicles. The 
proposed action encompasses the various federal approvals required to 
implement the Tribes' fee-to-trust application. Areas of environmental 
concern identified so far for analysis in the EIS include water 
resources, air quality, biological resources, cultural resources, 
socioeconomic conditions, traffic and transportation, land use, public 
utilities and services, noise, lighting, hazardous materials, 
environmental justice, and visual resources/aesthetics. The range of 
issues and alternatives to be addressed in the EIS may be expanded 
based on comments received in response to this notice and at the public 
scoping meetings.

Public Comment Availability

    Comments, including names and addresses of respondents, will be 
available for public review at the mailing address shown in the 
ADDRESSES section during regular business hours, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., 
Monday through Friday, except holidays. Individual respondents 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 comment. Such requests will be honored to the extent 
allowed by law. We will not, however, consider anonymous comments. All 
submissions from organizations or businesses and from individuals 
identifying themselves as representatives or officials of organizations 
or businesses will be made available for public inspection in their 
entirety.

Authority

    This notice is published in accordance with section 1503.1 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 et seq.), 
and the Department of Interior Manual (516 DM 1-6), and is in the 
exercise of authority delegated to the Principal Deputy Assistant 
Secretary `` Indian Affairs by 209 DM 8.1.

    Dated: August 3, 2005.
Debbie L. Clark,
Acting Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary--Indian Affairs.
[FR Doc. 05-17167 Filed 8-29-05; 8:45 am]
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