Notice of Intent to Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for the Cabazon Band of Mission Indians Resource Recovery Park Project, Riverside County, California

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Indian Affairs

Notice of Intent to Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for

the Cabazon Band of Mission Indians Resource Recovery Park Project,

Riverside County, California

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 (BIA), with the cooperation of the Cabazon Band of Mission

Indians, intends to gather information necessary for preparing a

Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS) for the Cabazon

Resource Recovery Park Project proposed for development on Section 6 of

the Cabazon Reservation in Riverside County, California. A description

of the proposed project, location, and environmental considerations to

be addressed in the PEIS are provided below (see supplemental

information). In addition to this notice, a public meeting regarding

the proposed project and preparation of the PEIS will be held.

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 obtain suggestions and information from

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

the PEIS. Comments and participation in this scoping process are

encouraged.

DATES: Comments must be received on or before November 28, 1997. A

public scoping meeting will be held November 13, 1997, from 7 p.m. to

10 p.m.

ADDRESSES: Comments should be addressed to Ronald Jaeger, Area

Director, Sacramento Area Office, Bureau of Indian Affairs, 4330 Watt

Avenue, 4th Floor, North Higlands, California 95660. A public scoping

meeting will be held on November 13, 1997, at the Tribal Hall, Cabazon

Reservation, 84-245 Indio Springs Drive, Indio, California, from 7 p.m.

to 10 p.m.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Frank Fryman, Acting Area Natural

Resources Officer, Sacramento Area Office, Bureau of Indian Affairs,

4330 Watt Avenue, 4th Floor, North Higlands, California 95660,

telephone number (916) 979-2575, extension 255; or Michael Derry,

Development Manager, Cabazon Band of Mission Indians, 84-245 Indio

Springs Drive, Indio, California 92201, telephone number (760) 342-

2593, extension 3015.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Cabazon Band of Mission Indians plans to

develop Section 6 of their Reservation, located between Avenue 62 and

Avenue 66 on State Highway 111, south of the City of Coachella in

Riverside County, California, into the Cabazon Resource Recovery Park

(CRRP). The CRRP will be developed to include numerous industrial

facilities in the areas of recycling, reclamation, and reuse of

materials that would otherwise be disposed of as waste, and subsequent

manufacturing of products from the reclaimed materials. The CRRP will

build on the existing waste recycling industries already constructed on

Section 6. Future types of industries to be pursued include: a

catalytic converter recycling plant in which platinum metal is

recovered; a waste tire recycling plant which will produce crumb rubber

for numerous industrial and paving uses; a materials recovery facility

(MRF) which will separate reusable materials from the municipal solid

waste stream; a biomass to ethanol facility; a building block

production facility; and a specialty plastic products manufacturer

using plastics recovered at the MRF. Numerous other projects similar in

nature are planned. An infrastructure will be constructed to support

the facilities in the Park, including rail sidings, a road network, a

sewage treatment plant, and a cogeneration plant. The project will use

the existing Southern Pacific rail line and the improved State Highway

86 for transportation of materials to and from the Park. The PEIS will

address existing, developing, planned, and representative projects in

the CRRP. Areas of environmental concern include: air quality, traffic

and transportation, biological and botanical resources, and cultural

resources. The range of issues addressed may be expanded based on

comments received during the scoping process.

Ada E. Deer,

Assistant Secretary--Indian Affairs.

[FR Doc. 97-28492 Filed 10-27-97; 8:45 am]

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