Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe not set on gaming site

Friday, February 12, 2010  

The Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe is apparently not set on building a casino in the town of Middleboro, Massachusetts, even though it already filed a land-into-trust application for the site.

Chairman Cedric Cromwell issued a statement to the town council saying the tribe was conducting "due diligence" on the site in Middleboro. Vice Chairman Aaron Tobey also told the town manager that the tribe was exploring its options.

The tribe filed the application for the 539-acre site in August 2007. The tribe believes the Bureau of Indian Affairs will release the final environmental impact statement soon.

The tribe wasn't federally recognized until May 2007 and there are questions whether it can follow the land-into-trust process as a result of the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Carcieri v. Salazar.

Get the Story:
Selectmen spend $85,000 from casino fund (South Coast Today 2/11)

Also Today:
Pacheco: Middleboro casino still on course (GateHouse News Service 2/11)