Commissioners in Clark County, Washington, are considering their options after the Cowlitz Tribe won final Bureau of Indian Affairs approval for a casino.
The county asked its attorneys to review the record of decision on the project. Commissioners could decide their next move at a meeting today. “If this was a private developer, you would welcome them with open arms,” resident Ed Barnes told commissioners when he heard about a potential appeal, The Columbian reported. The BIA agreed to place 152 acres in trust for the tribe. It was the first land-into-trust decision for a newly recognized tribe since the U.S. Supreme Court issued a decision in Carcieri v. Salazar. Get the Story: