Samish Nation still waiting for decision on long-awaited casino

Wednesday, December 16, 2015

A view of the Samish Nation land-into-trust site in Washington. Photo from Samish Casino Project

The Samish Nation of Washington is waiting for the Bureau of Indian Affairs to take the next step for its proposed casino.

The tribe started the land-into-trust process in 2011. Plans call for a 48,100 square-foot casino on about 11.41 acres in Skagit County.

The draft environmental impact statement was released more than a year ago, in August 2014. A public hearing was held on September 18, 2014, and the public comment period closed on October 6, 2014.

The next step would be a final EIS, to be followed by a record of decision, but there is no time frame for a decision.

In the meantime, the tribe negotiated an agreement with Skagit County to make up for the loss of property taxes. The board of commissioners signed the deal on Monday, The Skagit Valley Herald reported.

Get the Story:
County, Samish Indian Nation sign compensation agreement (The Skagit Valley Herald 12/14) $P Federal Register Notices:
Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Samish Indian Nation Trust Acquisition and Casino Project, City of Anacortes, Skagit County, Washington
(August 22, 2014)
Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for the Proposed Samish Indian Nation Fee-to-Trust Acquisition and Casino Project, Skagit County, WA (August 11, 2011) Related Stories:
Indian family in Washington still pursuing casino on trust land (07/30)
Samish Nation isn't interested in pursuing casino on allotment (09/26)
Indian family in Washington continues bid for casino on allotment (09/16)
Descendants want off-reservation casino at Indian allotment (06/16)
Samish Nation seeks to put land in trust for first gaming facility (08/23)