Stockbridge Munsee Band seeks land claim exception for casino

The Stockbridge Munsee Band of Mohican Indians of Wisconsin will seek to open an off-reservation casino in New York through a land claim exception.

Generally, the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act bars gaming on land acquired after 1998. But Section 20 of the law includes an exception for land acquired in connection with a land claim settlement.

In this case, the tribe is settling a land claim with the state of New York. The tribe is giving up about 23,000 acres in exchange for two properties -- 1.84 acres in Madison County and 330 acres in the Catskills.

The tribe will ask the Interior Department to place the Catskills site in trust for a casino. The deal won't require Congressional approval, according to an Gov. David Paterson (D).

"Now that the State, the Stockbridge-Munsee Tribe and local governments have done their part, I urge the Secretary of the Interior to put his signature on this settlement agreement to finalize the terms of the agreement," Paterson said in a press release.

In the history of IGRA, only two tribes -- the Seneca Nation of New York and the Wyandotte Nation of Oklahoma -- have opened casinos in connection with a land claim settlement. The Wyandottes were able to cross state lines for their casino in Kansas.

By seeking an exception, the Stockbridge Munsee Band won't follow the two-part determination process for the casino. The St. Regis Mohawk Tribe came closest to completing the two-part process until being rejected by the Bush administration.

Get the Story:
Paterson, Schumer push feds for casino (The Albany Times-Union 11/23)
Catskill casino OKed - for Wisconsin tribe (North Country Public Radio 11/23)
Gov. Paterson goes all in with Wisconsin-based tribe for Catskills casino (The New York Daily News 11/23)
Indians sign Sullivan casino pact (The Middletown Times Herald-Record 11/23)
Senecas upset by plan to allow out-of-state tribe to build casino (The Dunkirk Observer 11/23)
Paterson details land agreement for Catskills casino (The Ithaca Journal 11/22)
State, local governments and Wisconsin-based tribe settle land claim (The Syracuse Post-Standard 11/22)
Stockbridge Munsee tribe meets with Madison County and Gov. David Paterson in Wampsville (The Oneida Dispatch 11/22)
Sullivan County casino opponents are varied and vocal (The Oneida Dispatch 11/22)
Land claim settlement reached in Madison County with Wisconsin Indian tribe (WKTV 11/22)
Catskills Region Moves Step Closer To Getting Casino (CBS 2 11/22)

Related Stories:
New York governor expected to announce off-reservation casino (11/22)
Editorial: A bad deal for an off-reservation casino in the Catskills (11/22)
Editorial: No dice for the off-reservation casino in the Catkskills (11/19)
Stockbridge Munsee casino faces major opposition in New York (11/18)
NRDC Blog: Off-reservation casino not so great for the Catskills (11/18)
Stockbridge Munsee Band reaches deal for casino in New York (11/17)