Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for a Proposed Lease To Construct and Operate an Integrated Waste Management Facility on the Cortina Indian Rancheria, Colusa County, CA

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Indian Affairs

Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for

a Proposed Lease To Construct and Operate an Integrated Waste

Management Facility on the Cortina Indian Rancheria, Colusa County, CA

AGENCY: Bureau of Indian Affairs, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of Intent and Public Scoping Meeting.

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SUMMARY: This notice advises the public that the Bureau of Indian

Affairs, in cooperation with the Cortina Indian Rancheria of Wintun

Indians, intends to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for

a proposed lease to construct and operate an integrated waste

management facility on the Cortina Rancheria of the Cortina Band of

Wintun Indians in Colusa County, California. A description of the

proposed project, location, and environmental issues to be addressed in

the EIS are provided below (supplementary information). In addition to

this notice, a public meeting will be held to describe the proposed

action and to receive public comments regarding the scope of the EIS.

The public will be invited to participate in the scoping process,

review of the draft EIS, and a public meeting.

This notice is published in accordance with the National

Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) regulations found in 40 CFR 1501.7. The

purpose of this notice is to solicit suggestions and information from

other agencies and the public on the scope of issues to be addressed in

the EIS. Comments and participation in this scoping process are

encouraged.

DATES: Comments should be received by November 29, 1995. A public

scoping meeting will be held on November 16, 1995.

ADDRESSES: Comments should be addressed to Mr. Ronald Jaeger, Area

Director, Sacramento Area Office, 2800 Cottage Way, Room W-2550,

Sacramento, California 95825. A public scoping meeting will be held on

November 16, 1995, at 7:30 p.m. at the Cortina Indian Rancheria

Satellite Office

[[Page 55588]]

located at 570 Sixth Street, Williams, California.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Robert Eckart, Area Environmental

Protection Specialist, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Sacramento Area

Office, 2800 Cottage Way, Room W-2550, Sacramento, California 95825,

telephone number (916) 979-2575.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Cortina Integrated Waste Management, Inc.

proposes to lease 443 acres of the Cortina Indian Rancheria for the

purpose of constructing and operating an integrated waste management

facility for recycling or disposal of a variety of non-hazardous

wastes. The project will be required to meet all applicable

environmental standards and regulations.

The proposed project includes a 200-acre sanitary landfill, a non-

source separated materials recovery facility, an organic waste

composting area, and a petroleum-contaminated (PC) soils bioremediation

facility. The facility would receive daily shipments of municipal solid

waste, compostable organic wastes, and PC soils from nearby counties.

Approximately 400 to 1,500 tons per day of waste materials would be

delivered to the facility by truck. Offsite roadway improvements would

be necessary.

The Cortina Indian Rancheria is located in the foothills that form

the west side of the Sacramento Valley in southwestern Colusa County

approximately 50 miles northwest of the city of Sacramento. The

Rancheria is in a sparsely populated area with cattle grazing being the

predominant land use in the vicinity. The project site has moderately

to steeply sloping terrain covered with oak woodland and chaparral and

is currently undeveloped.

The EIS will assess alternatives to the proposed project,

including: (1) A smaller project; (2) a project without composting,

recycling, or PC soils remediation; and (3) no project. The EIS will

address numerous environmental issues, including: geology, topography,

soils, water resources, air quality, living resources, cultural

resources, traffic, land use, visual resources, socioeconomic, public

health and safety, and noise. The range of issues addressed may be

expanded based on comments received during the scoping process.

Dated: October 25, 1995.

Ada E. Deer,

Assistant Secretary--Indian Affairs.

[FR Doc. 95-27024 Filed 10-31-95; 8:45 am]

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