Navajo Nation seeks off-reservation land transfer for new casino

Thursday, September 30, 2010  

The Navajo Nation is seeking off-reservation land for a casino in Arizona.

Under the Navajo-Hopi Settlement Act, the tribe can acquire federal and private land off the reservation as long as it meets certain conditions. That would presumably make the land eligible for gaming.

The Arizona plan calls for a 432.5-acre acquisition off a major interstate near Flagstaff. Gov. Jan Brewer (R) supports the transfer.

"While I have not always agreed with tribal plans to operate gaming establishments, I understand my legal responsibilities as governor under the Arizona gaming compacts and the Navajo Nation’s right to self-determination,” Brewer said in a letter quoted by The Arizona Journal. “I have been both impressed by the sensitivity the Navajo Nation has showed for its neighbors and with the careful planning its leaders have engaged in prior to identifying, acquiring and designing the Twin Arrows site.”

Get the Story:
Governor Supports Casino Land Transfer (The Arizona Journal 9/29)