Commissioners in Clark County, Washington, want to know if they can kill the casino sought by the Cowlitz Tribe.

The county is drafting a letter to George Skibine at the Bureau of Indian Affairs. It asks whether the lack of a memorandum of understanding between the county and the tribe will affect the casino proposal.

According to a group called Citizens Against Reservation Shopping, Skibine once said the lack of an agreement could derail the tribe's land-into-trust application. The group has a transcript of a telephone conference call in which Skibine allegedly made the statement.

The county and the tribe had an MOU that was struck down in the state court system because the county didn't solicit enough public comment prior to its adoption. The tribe subsequently added the MOU to its gaming ordinance, which was approved by the National Indian Gaming Commission.

The tribe wants to build a casino on 152 acres in the county. As a newly recognized tribe, the Cowlitz are seeking an exception under the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act that allows gaming on land taken into trust after 1988.

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Commissioners: Can we kill casino? (The Columbian 5/6)