Racetrack lobbyist criticizes report on Jemez Pueblo casino

Friday, June 10, 2011  

A lobbyist for a non-Indian racetrack says a draft environmental impact statement for the Jemez Pueblo off-reservation casino is biased and needs to be rewritten.

Sunland Park Racetrack and Casino opposes the tribe's plan for a casino in southern New Mexico. Lobbyist Scott Scanland said it's clear that the tribe -- not the Bureau of Indian Affairs -- wrote the EIS.

"The [EIS] must be substantially rewritten since most of the underlying information and data it relies on is provided by the applicant," lobbyist Scott Scanland told The Santa Fe New Mexican.

The tribe's facility would be about a half hour away from the track.

Get the Story:
Sunland lobbyist decries Jemez Pueblo casino study (The Santa Fe New Mexican 6/10)

Federal Register Notice:
Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Proposed Pueblo of Jemez 70.277-Acre Fee-to-Trust Transfer and Casino Project, Don˜ a Ana County, NM (April 8, 2011)

Related Stories:
New Mexico governor stays open to off-reservation casino (6/7)
BIA extends comment period on Jemez Pueblo casino plan (6/6)
Groups opposed to Jemez Pueblo off-reservation casino (5/31)
Editorial: Jemez off-reservation casino deserves a chance (4/18)