The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) has initiated the preparation of an Environmental Assessment (EA) to analyze the potential environmental consequences of the Koi Nation of Northern California’s (Koi Nation) application for a 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). For the purpose of the EA, the BIA will serve as the Lead Agency for compliance with NEPA.
Additionally, based on the anticipated requirements of a future Tribal-State Compact between the State of California and the Koi Nation, a Tribal Environmental Impact Report (TEIR) will be required to analyze the potential off-reservation environmental impacts of the Proposed Project. To reduce paperwork and eliminate redundancy, the TEIR will be prepared in coordination with the NEPA EA, resulting in a joint “EA/TEIR.” The Koi Nation will serve as the Lead Agency for the TEIR.
A Notice of Preparation (NOP) for the Proposed Project was issued on May 27, 2022. The NOP described the Proposed Action and announced the initiation of the 30-day public scoping comment period, which ended on June 27, 2022. The purpose of the public scoping process was to identify potential environmental issues, concerns, reasonable mitigation measures, and alternatives to be considered in the EA/TEIR. The BIA has published a “Scoping Report” summarizing the results of the public scoping process.
Once the EA/TEIR is complete, the BIA will issue a Notice of Availability (NOA) which will announce the initiation of a public review and comment period and provide information regarding a Public Hearing to receive comments on the environmental analysis included in the EA/TEIR. Individuals who submitted comments during the scoping comment period have been added to the BIA’s public notice list and will receive a copy of the NOA when the EA/TEIR is available for review. If you did not submit a comment, but would like to be added to the BIA’s public notice list for the Proposed Project, you may mail or hand-deliver your request to the address below or submit via email to Chad Broussard, Environmental Protection Specialist, Bureau of Indian Affairs, at [email protected]. Please include your name, return address, and “Koi Nation Shiloh Resort and Casino Project” on the first page of your written request or in the subject line of emailed requests.
Amy Dutschke, Regional Director
Bureau of Indian Affairs, Pacific Region
2800 Cottage Way
Sacramento, CA 95825