Washington: Feds seeking public comment on Nisqually Tribe’s Lacey casino project

The Federal Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) is seeking public comment to help prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Nisqually Indian Tribe’s proposal for a casino resort in Lacey. The project, called the Quiemuth Casino Resort, would be built on vacant land north of Interstate 5 near the outdoor store Cabela’s.

According to The Olympian, as part of this process, the tribe has submitted a fee-to-trust application to the Bureau of Indian Affairs requesting the placement of approximately 74.2 acres of fee land in trust by the US upon which the Nisqually Indian Tribe would construct the property.

“The tribe proposes to develop a casino-resort with an event/multi-purpose center, cultural center/museum with tribal lawn, and associated infrastructure,” the BIA announcement reads.

The EIS will analyze a variety of factors, including land resources, water resources, air quality, noise, biological resources, cultural/historic/archaeological resources, resource use patterns, traffic and transportation, public health and safety, hazardous materials and hazardous wastes, public services and utilities, socio-economics, environmental justice, visual resources/aesthetics, and cumulative, indirect, and growth-inducing effects.

BIA officials stated that the list of things to be reviewed could be expanded "based on public comment." They also said the EIS will evaluate possible alternatives, including a reduced-intensity casino alternative, and an alternate-use, non-gaming alternative.

Those interested in sending comments can do so via email to Jerry Page, Branch Chief, Natural Resource Officer, Bureau of Indian Affairs, at [email protected], using “NOI Comments, Nisqually Indian Tribe Fee-to-Trust and Casino Project” as the subject of the email. 

Alternatively, they can send written comments to Bryan Mercier, Regional Director, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Northwest Region at 911 NE 11th Avenue, Portland, Oregon 97232. The agency advises to include the name, return address, and “NOI Comments, Nisqually Indian Tribe Fee-to-Trust and Casino Project” on the first page of the written comments.

The comment deadline is Wednesday, August 7, 2024. A virtual scoping meeting is set for 6:00 PM on August 1. For more information about the meeting, people can visit www.nisquallycasinoeis.com.