Final Enviornmental Impact Study For Cowlitz Is Complete - 30 Day Waiting Period Begins

The final environmental impact study on the Cowlitz casino, which includes the federal government taking a 152-acre site into trust, is finished and will be ready for public review today. Now begins the 30-day waiting period before a final federal decision.

See “Can Clark County Block Casino” post of May 10:

Federal officials will not announce their decision before July 1.

"I think this is an important step forward in the federal process," said Phil Harju, a member of the Cowlitz Tribal Council and its designated casino spokesman. "The federal government (is) close to taking the land into trust for the Cowlitz reservation."

That step is necessary for a development partnership to build a $510 million casino complex along Interstate 5 two miles west of La Center.

If the federal government takes the 152-acre site into trust, the long casino fight will most likely will go to the courts. The Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde, the city of La Center, the city of Vancouver, La Center's four nontribal cardrooms and the anti-casino group Citizens Against Reservation Shopping all could decide to challenge the decision in court

The casino study will be announced by publishing a Friday notice in the Federal Register.

Comments can be submitted on the final study until June 30, but the federal government is under no obligation to respond to those comments or to amend its final casino study.

Friday's action also is expected to include the National Indian Gaming Commission's approval of a "gaming management contract" for the project.

The contract almost certainly would be with Salishan-Mohegan, a partnership between Cowlitz tribal member David Barnett and the Mohegan Tribe of Connecticut.

Salishan-Mohegan also would manage the casino resort for seven years. After that period, the tribe could take over management itself, negotiate a new contract with Salishan-Mohegan or bring in another management company.

Full Article:
http://www.columbian.com/news/localNews/2008/05/05292008_Casino-project-takes-major-step-forward.cfm