The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) has prepared a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to analyze the potential environmental consequences of the Koi Nation of Northern California’s (Koi Nation) proposed fee-to-trust transfer of an approximately 68.6-acre parcel in unincorporated Sonoma County, California, adjacent to the Town of Windsor, for gaming purposes (Proposed Action). The Proposed Project includes the development of a casino, hotel, conference/event center, restaurant/bars, and supporting parking and infrastructure within the project site. The federal actions necessary to implement the Proposed Project trigger the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The BIA is the Lead Agency for compliance with NEPA.
The BIA previously conducted scoping and prepared an Environmental Assessment (EA) that analyzed the potential environmental effects of the proposed action. The EA was made available for public comments and was the subject of a public meeting. Upon consideration of the public and agency comments received, prepared an EIS to further analyze the environmental effects which may result from the proposed action. A Notice of Intent (NOI) to prepare an EIS was issued on March 8, 2024.
A Notice of Availability for the EIS was issued on July 8, 2024 advising the public that the BIA filed the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) with the EPA in connection with the Proposed Action. Publication of Notice of Availability by the EPA in the Federal Register on July 12, 2024 officially initiated a 45-day comment period on the DEIS that concluded on August 26, 2024. A virtual public hearing was held on July 30, 2024.
The BIA is now reviewing the comments received on the Draft EIS and preparing the Final EIS.