BIA kicks off hearings for off-reservation casino

Thursday, September 15, 2005  

The Bureau of Indian Affairs is kicking off a series of public hearings for a proposed off-reservation casino in Oregon.

The Warm Springs Tribes signed a compact with Gov. Ted Kulongoski (D) for a casino in Cascade Locks. The BIA is taking comment on a draft environmental impact statement for the project.

The proposal has drawn opposition from other tribes who say off-reservation casinos shouldn't be allowed. There are nine tribes in the state.

The Warm Springs Tribes say the alternative to Cascade Locks is Hood River, where the tribe already has 40 acres in trust. But environmentalists don't want the tribe to open a casino there.

The BIA is holding five hearings on the proposal [Federal Register Notice].

Get the Story:
As the BIA opens hearings, tribal officials see the issue as between two sites, but critics say it's whether to build at all (The Oregonian 9/15)