Cascade Locks Resort and Casino Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) Project Web Site
EIS Process
Pursuant to requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) has determined that an environmental impact statement (EIS) is necessary to assess the potential impacts of the Tribe's proposal and alternatives to that proposal. Because of limited personnel and funding, BIA and the Tribe have agreed, through a Memorandum of Understanding, that the EIS will be prepared by an outside consultant under the direction of BIA. With BIA’s concurrence, the Tribe selected HDR, Inc. of Portland, Oregon to be the prime consultant for preparation of the EIS.
The EIS is being prepared in accordance with NEPA; Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) Implementing Regulations, 40 CFR 1500-1508; Department of the Interior (DOI), Departmental Manual Part 516, 1-7 and 10; Bureau of Indian Affairs Manual, Supplement 1 (The NEPA Handbook), 2004; and other relevant statutes, regulations, and DOI and BIA requirements.
The NEPA process is intended to ensure that environmental information is available to public officials and citizens before decisions are made and actions are taken. The purpose of the EIS is to document the environmental, social and economic consequences of constructing the proposed resort and casino and associated transportation system improvements, including a new I-84 interchange. The EIS will:
- Provide site-specific environmental analysis for proposed facilities and activities and reasonable alternatives to the Tribe's proposal;
- Describe, analyze and disclose the various biological, physical, social and economic impacts that proposed facilities and activities and alternatives would generate;
- Identify, where possible, the long-term impacts and secondary effects of the proposal and alternatives;
- Indicate possible mitigating measures which may be used to avoid or reduce impacts; and
- Provide a comprehensive, reliable document for review and evaluation by interested public agencies, groups and individuals and for use as a basis for decision-making.
While the Tribe's proposal is the basis for initiating the NEPA process, the EIS will identify and objectively evaluate a reasonable range of alternatives, including a no action alternative. The range of alternatives to be analyzed is based upon public and agency scoping. The Tribe's proposal is considered to be the proposed action. A preferred alternative, however, will not be documented by BIA (as lead agency) until completion of the environmental analysis.
The first step in the EIS process is scoping. Scoping is the process to determine the scope of the environmental analysis to be conducted. It is used early in the NEPA process to identify: (1) issues to be addressed; (2) the depth of analysis; (3) alternatives to the proposed action; and (4) potential positive and negative impacts of the proposed action.
The scoping process began with publication in the Federal Register of a Notice of Intent to prepare an EIS. A 45-day scoping period concluded on October 15, 2005. An additional 30-day scoping period to solicit input on the project Purpose/Need and range of alternatives concluded on December 31, 2005. An August 2006 Scoping Report summarizes the scoping process and results.
A Draft EIS was released for public review, following publication in the Federal Register of a Notice of Availability on February 15, 2008. A 90-day public comment period concluded on May 15, 2008. Comments received on the Draft EIS during the public comment period will be considered in the preparation of a Final EIS, which is scheduled for completion in Spring 2009. View comments received from key agencies and stakeholders on the Draft EIS.
The EIS is not a decision document. A recommended fee-to-trust action will then be forwarded by the BIA Regional Director to the Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs, Department of the Interior, for a final decision and documented in a Record of Decision (ROD). As a separate decision action, the Secretary of the Interior will make an IGRA Section 20 determination.
The EIS process is illustrated below:
Timeline
View a timeline for completion of the various decision documents.