Dear Representative Baird:
We were pleased to read your comments in Tuesday’s Columbian acknowledging the problems faced by communities where tribes want to locate their casinos. You are quoted saying, “The deck is so stacked right now, in terms of process, against the local community.”
Later in the story, you describe the federal process: “It’s too complicated; it’s not transparent … I think it’s biased in terms of the agencies making the decisions in a quasi-advocacy role.”
We can attest to all of that and more -- including a lack of predictability and the failure to provide non-tribal citizens timely information about the so-called process.
Back in 2004, when the Board of Clark County Commissioners signed off on a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Cowlitz Tribe, they had no inkling that within days the Cowlitz gambling syndicate would apply for initial reservation status. That removed the federal stipulation that before approving new land for gaming, the Secretary of the Interior would have to determine that a casino would not be detrimental to surrounding communities -- and the governor would make the final decision.
Then, in 2005, the syndicate quietly applied for restored lands status -- another way to take away the no-detriment requirement and the governor’s right to decide. Although many concerned citizens submitted information, comments that ran contrary to the tribe's submissions were barely considered in the restored lands opinion written by the National Indian Gaming Commission.
In the case of the MOU, negotiators for the gambling syndicate worked with the county commissioners but did not enable public involvement in the process, as required by law. As it turns out, that has caused them no end of trouble, because the MOU has been invalidated twice due to the lack of public participation.
Other concerns
Representative Baird, your other comments reflect many of our concerns about this proposed project:
- The proposed facility is enormous.
- Gambling is addictive.
- Gambling is not an effective means of building an economy.
- The site proposed for the casino would be better used for industry.
- A casino could have serious negative impacts on north Clark County.
We appreciate and share your concerns, and encourage you to do whatever you can to give greater voice to communities facing casino proposals.
Sincerely,
Citizens Against Reservation Shopping
>> Read the full story: “Indian gambling law stacks deck against communities, Baird says”
