[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 68 (Friday, April 8, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 19783-19784]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-8035]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Indian Affairs
Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Proposed Pueblo of
Jemez 70.277-Acre Fee-to-Trust Transfer and Casino Project, Do[ntilde]a
Ana County, NM
AGENCY: Bureau of Indian Affairs, Department of the 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, in cooperation with the Pueblo of Jemez,
intends to file a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) with the
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for the proposed approval of
a 70.277 acre fee-to-trust transfer and casino project to be located
within Do[ntilde]a Ana County, New Mexico. Details on the proposed
action, location, and areas of environmental concern addressed in the
DEIS are provided in the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of this
notice. This notice also announces a public hearing to receive comments
on the DEIS.
DATES: Written comments on the DEIS must arrive by May 23, 2011. The
public hearing on the DEIS will be held on Saturday, April 30, 2011,
from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., or until the last public comment is received.
ADDRESSES: You may mail or hand-carry written comments to William
Walker, Regional Director, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Southwest Regional
Office, 1001 Indian School Road, NW., Albuquerque, New Mexico 87104.
The public hearing will be held at the Loma Linda Elementary School,
1451 Donaldson Avenue, Anthony, New Mexico 88021. See the SUPPLEMENTARY
INFORMATION section of this notice for locations where the DEIS is
available for review and for directions on submitting comments.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Priscilla Wade (505) 563-3417.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Pueblo of Jemez proposes that 70.277
acres, within a 102.13-acre tract of land, be taken into trust and that
a temporary and a permanent casino be constructed on these trust lands.
In addition, a hotel is proposed for construction on the 31.855-acres
remaining in fee status. The proposed site is located on the southwest
corner of Interstate 10 and New Mexico State Road 404 (O'Hara Road),
adjacent to the City of Anthony in Do[ntilde]a Ana County, New Mexico.
The Pueblo of Jemez, through its Tribal Gaming Enterprise, will operate
the casino facility. The BIA is the lead agency for the DEIS on this
project. There are no cooperating agencies. A public scoping meeting
for the DEIS was held by the BIA on March 16, 2005, in Anthony, New
Mexico.
The Pueblo proposes to build and operate a 24,000-square foot
temporary casino while building a permanent gaming facility with a
planned 103,500 total square feet on trust-acquired land that is
adjacent to a proposed 90,000 square-foot hotel facility located on fee
land. Access to the facilities would be from O'Hara Road and the west
frontage road along I-10. The temporary and permanent casinos and hotel
would include associated parking.
Environmental issues addressed in the DEIS include land and water
resources, air quality, biological resources, cultural resources,
socio-economic conditions, resource use patterns, public services,
noise, hazardous materials, visual resources, environmental justice,
growth-inducing effects, cumulative impacts, and unavoidable adverse
effects. Alternatives to the proposed project considered in the DEIS
include: (1) Trust Acquisition with temporary and permanent casino, and
hotel construction; (2) Trust Acquisition with permanent casino and
hotel construction; and (3) No Action.
Directions for Submitting Comments: Please include your name,
return address and the caption, ``DEIS Comments, Pueblo of Jemez
Proposed 70.277-acre Fee-to-Trust Transfer and Casino Project'' on the
first page of your written comments.
Locations where the DEIS is Available for Review: The DEIS is
available for review at the following locations.
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For information on
Location Address the location, call:
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City of Anthony City Hall... 320 Lincoln Street, (575) 882-2983.
Anthony, New Mexico
88021.
Pueblo of Jemez 4471 Highway 4, (575) 834-7359
Administrative Office. Pueblo of Jemez, (contact: Ashley
New Mexico 87024. Chinana).
BIA Southwest Regional 1001 Indian School (505) 563-3417.
Office. Road, NW.,
Albuquerque, New
Mexico 87104.
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[[Page 19784]]
The DEIS is also available for public review on the following Web
sites:
http://www.anthonycasinofacts.com, and
http://www.jemezpueblo.org.
If you would like to obtain a CD copy of the DEIS, please write or call
Priscilla Wade, Regional Environmental Protection Specialist, Bureau of
Indian Affairs, Division of Environmental, Safety, and Cultural
Resources Management, Southwest Regional Office, 1001 Indian School
Road, NW., Albuquerque, New Mexico 87104.
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, e-mail 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 part 1500
through 1508) and Sec. 46.305 of the Department of 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.
Dated: March 25, 2011.
Jodi Gillette,
Deputy Assistant Secretary--Indian Affairs.
[FR Doc. 2011-8035 Filed 4-7-11; 8:45 am]
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