Pawnee Gaming Fee-to-Trust and Section 20 Determination, StoneWolf Casino Amenity Expansion EA

CLIENT:  Pawnee Tribal Development Corporation, Pawnee Nation of Oklahoma

The Pawnee Tribal Development Corporation contracted EMPSi to prepare an Environmental Assessment (EA) in preparation for the development of a 20-acre parcel north of the StoneWolf Casino, located in Pawnee County, Oklahoma. Land administration of the project area falls under the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), Pawnee Agency. This EA considered the environmental effects of placing the 20-acre fee parcel into federal trust status on behalf of the Pawnee Nation and designating the property as eligible for gaming purposes.

The purpose of this project was to provide for continued funding of the Pawnee Nation’s governmental programs and to improve the socioeconomic conditions and further the social, political, cultural, and economic welfare of the Pawnee people. The project also increased the trust assets for the Pawnee Nation.

FAST FACTS:

• Project was intended to provide for continued funding of the Pawnee Nation’s governmental programs

• Projected to increase annual distributions, employment, and other benefits to the Pawnee Nation from operation of the StoneWolf Casino

[The BIA is] pleased with the final work product – especially the EA, which I emphasized was not only comprehensive, but also written in plain English and thus easy to read and follow.

— Connie Briggs, Fee-to-Trust Application Attorney