A group called Citizens for a Better Buffalo sued the Interior Department to try to stop the Seneca Nation from building a casino in downtown Buffalo.

The group says former Interior Secretary Gale Norton was wrong to allow the tribe to acquire land for the casino. The tribe is the only one in the nation to use the land claim exception in Section 20 of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act.

Former Rep. John LaFalce (D) who just joined the group, says Norton's action spoke of a lack of accountability at the department. As a member of Congress, he sponsored the land claim settlement bill but said it shouldn't have been used to justify the casino.

Gov. George Pataki (R) signed a compact to authorize three casinos for the tribe. Two facilities are located off the reservation, on land taken into trust under the land claim exception.

The compact requires the tribe to share slot machine revenues with the state. A bill ready for his signature describes how the money will be distributed.

Get the Story:
LaFalce attacks federal stance on casino (The Buffalo News 12/12)
Pataki gets bill on sharing casino cash (The Buffalo News 12/12)