The U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs has finished a draft environmental impact statement for the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino proposed for a 306-acre plot of land just west of Mettler.

The completion represents a significant step forward for the $600 million project, which is expected to radically transform the agricultural area about a half-hour south of Bakersfield, bringing with it 2,000 permanent jobs, as well as function as a homeland for the Tejon Indian Tribe, which is behind the project.