The Shawnee Tribe met with members of Oklahoma's Congressional delegation to address concerns about a proposed casino in Oklahoma City.
But the meetings don't appear to have helped. The lawmakers plan to send a letter to Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne in opposition of the $400 million casino, The Oklahoman reported.
The project depends on the tribe's ability to have the land placed in trust. The
Bureau of
Indian Affairs in January adopted a new policy that makes it harder to open
casinos on land away from existing reservations.
The Shawnee Tribe doesn't have a reservation but its headquarters are in Miami, nearly 200 miles from Oklahoma City. The policy states that a gaming site must be within a commutable distance for tribal members.
The tribe, formerly a part of the Cherokee Nation, was recognized
by an act of Congress in 2000. The law appeared to give the tribe the ability to
open a casino just about anywhere in Oklahoma.
After word of an Oklahoma
City casino surfaced in 2005, lawmakers introduced a
rider to make it harder for the tribe to
acquire land.
The bill became law but the tribe believes it has a good case for acquiring the Oklahoma City land. Greg Pitcher, the head of the tribe's economic development arm, appears to be arguing that the tribe qualifies for a "restored" and/or "newly recognized" exception in Section 20 of the Indian
Gaming Regulatory Act.
Just last week, the BIA finalized new regulations to guide the Section 20 process. Restored or newly recognized tribes must demonstrate connections to the gaming site.
Get the Story:Casino proposal heads for showdown (The Oklahoman 5/25)
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