Artist's rendering of the proposed Cowlitz Casino Resort. Image from Cowlitz Indian Tribe Environmental Impact Statement
Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler (R-Washington) wants to know why the Bureau of Indian Affairs plans to place a gaming site in trust for the Cowlitz Tribe. The BIA plans to put the 152-acre site of the proposed Cowlitz Casino Resort in trust as soon as January 15, 2015. Herrera Beutler believes the acquisition will be premature because opponents in her district are still waiting for a decision in their lawsuit. "Why is the department so willing to deny my constituents their day in court?" Herrera Beutler said in a letter to Interior Secretary Sally Jewell, The Columbian reported. Final briefs were submitted to Judge Barbara Jacobs Rothstein of the federal court in Washington, D.C. back in January. It's not clear why she hasn't made a decision but earlier this month she ordered the Obama administration to submit a brief in response to an issue raised by casino opponents. The brief was submitted on November 18 and casino opponents responded on November 21. The Cowlitz Tribe also filed its own brief on November 18. Opponents include Clark County in Washington and the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde in Oregon. Among other issues, the plaintiffs are raising 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" as of 1934. The Cowlitz didn't receive formal recognition until 2000 but the BIA has determined that the tribe meets the test. Get the Story:
Herrera Beutler questions feds' actions on Cowlitz casino (The Columbian 11/25)
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