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Cowlitz Casino Study to be Forwarded to Washington D.C. in January

A study on the proposed Cowlitz Casino project should be finalized within the last week of January.

According to Gerald Henrikson, the regional environmental scientist for the Bureau of Indian Affairs in Portland, the final study will be forwarded to Washington D.C. for review and decision.

Henrikson said that the final environmental impact statement will not be released until the time that the Interior Department has decided if it will take the 152-acre casino west of La Center into trust on behalf of the tribe.

"It's pre-decisional until the record of decision is signed," said Henrikson. Henrikson was referring to the formal process of the department, including the publication of the decision in the Federal Register.

In addition, Henrikson expects that the information will have to be reviewed by Interior officials within a period of between 1 and 3 months before a decision can be issued.

"Understand they are not under any statutory obligation to do it under a time line," Henrikson said. "They will take the time they need, both from a legal and policy standpoint."

As a general rule, the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act prohibits casino gambling on land taken into trust after 1988. However, the law does provide exemptions, including for a tribe's initial reservation and for restored lands for tribes that have been recently restored for federal recognition.

The previous study made by the Cowlitz tribe was heavily criticized by opponents of the casino, calling the study draft, inaccurate and inadequate.

 

Sunday, January 28 , 2007
Brian Letendre