An artist's rendering of proposed First Light Resort and Casino. Image from Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe
The Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe of Massachusetts remains confident that its gaming land-into-trust application will be approved. The tribe plans to use 151 acres in Taunton for the First Light Resort and Casino. The Bureau of Indian Affairs issued the final environmental impact statement in September but hasn't made a decision on the application yet. “We are pleased with the progress being made on our land in trust application," Chairman Cedric Cromwell told The New Bedford Standard-Times. The tribe's main hurdle is the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Carcieri v. Salazar. The ruling restricts the land-into-trust process to tribes that were "under federal jurisdiction" in 1934. The Mashpees didn't gain recognition until May 2007. But the ruling didn't define what that term means so the BIA can look at treaties, laws and other actions to determine whether a tribe was "under federal jurisdiction." Get the Story:
Southeastern Mass. casino license may be a risky bet for developers (The Boston Globe 11/17)
Uncertainty still swirls around SouthCoast casino license (The New Bedford Standard-Times 11/16) Federal Register Notice:
Final Environmental Impact Statement for the Proposed Fee-to-Trust Transfer of Property and Subsequent Development of a Resort/Hotel and Ancillary Facilities in the City of Taunton, MA and Tribal Government Facilities in the Town of Mashpee, MA by the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe (September 5, 2014)
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