Law360, New York (April 7, 2015, 8:13 PM EDT) -- Last year, the National Indian Gaming Commission conducted four consultation sessions with tribal leaders to discuss what level of environmental review under the National Environmental Policy Act is required before the NIGC may approve a gaming management contract between a tribe and a third-party company. As a result of the feedback received from tribes, the NIGC, in February 2015, announced plans to adopt a NEPA manual that includes a categorical exclusion for the approval of management contracts. If approved, the unnecessary and costly burden of extensive environmental review, through either an environmental assessment or an environmental impact statement, would be eliminated except in the case of extraordinary circumstances. The NIGC is currently in the process of conducting consultation sessions with tribal leaders to seek input on the proposed NEPA policy manual and the categorical exclusion....