EchoHawk to visit off-reservation casino sites

Thursday, July 30, 2009  

Larry EchoHawk, the new head of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, will tour off-reservation casino sites in New York.

EchoHawk has not expressed his views on off-reservation gaming. Neither has his boss, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar.

Rep. Maurice Hinchey (D) hopes the visit will convince EchoHawk to support off-reservation gaming in the Catskills region of New York. Three tribes are pursuing casinos in the region and two of them were rejected by the Bush administration.

"Casino gaming in Sullivan County could provide a real shot in the arm to the area's economy by creating thousands of new jobs, including construction jobs and permanent positions at the facilities. I look forward to showing Assistant Secretary EchoHawk around Sullivan County and helping to facilitate a positive outcome for efforts to secure approval of off-reservation gaming," Hinchey said in a press release.

Get the Story:
Bureau of Indian Affairs head plans Sullivan visit (The Middletown Times Herald-Record 7/30)