The Bureau of Indian Affairs has released a draft environmental impact statement on the casino sought by the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe of Massachusetts.
The 1,306-page report looks into the effects of the casino on water, wildlife, wetlands and traffic in the town of Middleboro. The tribe plans a 600,000 square-foot casino, a hotel, a parking garage, a station and golf course on 500 acres there. The report is part of the land-into-trust process that the tribe started in August 2007. The tribe filed the applications after gaining federal recognition in May 2007. A pending U.S. Supreme Court case that affects newly recognized tribes could play a role in the process. Also, full-scale Class III gaming is not legal in Massachusetts. Get the Story: