As you probably know, the Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the proposed Cowlitz casino was released May 30. This is just one more step in the process, and it does not mean the casino project has been approved. A 30-day public comment period is required under federal law, but the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) has extended it to 60 days -- to the end of July.
This is extremely important. We simply cannot afford to let this EIS stand in its present form, and this might be our final chance to appeal to the BIA in a formal way. PLEASE TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO DO AT LEAST ONE OF THE FOLLOWING THINGS:
1. Submit a comment on the Final EIS, available at http://www.cowlitzeis.com.
2. Request that the Department of the Interior (DOI) withdraw the Final EIS, go back to the drawing board and produce a Supplemental Draft EIS.
Why a Supplemental EIS? The most striking thing about the tribe's Final EIS is how unresponsive it is to the comments and concerns voiced over the past few years by concerned citizens and governmental agencies.
Two problems with this document are the lack of alternative sites being considered (CARS believes the tribe should consider land in its federally adjudicated aboriginal homeland along the Cowlitz River) and the lack of acknowledgement of the impacts this project would have on the interstates and the Columbia River bridges.
Because those and other concerns have not been addressed, CARS is asking DOI to withdraw the Final EIS and address these and other issues in a Supplemental Draft EIS. Please see our blog "Why we want DOI to withdraw the Final EIS" to read more specifics.
If you submitted a comment on the Draft EIS in 2006, consider looking at the relevant sections in the Final EIS (e.g. air quality, transportation, socioeconomics), and see whether they address your concerns. If not, resubmit your comments, note that you are dissatisfied with the Final EIS and ask DOI to withdraw it and produce a Supplemental EIS.
If you have not submitted a comment, check out the Final EIS (begin with the "Executive Summary and Table" or section 4 "Environmental Consequences"), and write a comment requesting that DOI withdraw the document.
Why is this important? The BIA needs to know that citizens remain frustrated and angry that our comments -- both individual and collective -- have had no impact on the Cowlitz developers, and that our serious concerns have not been addressed.
Comments should include the caption "FEIS Comments, Cowlitz Indian Tribe Trust Acquisition and Casino Project" and be addressed to:
Stanley Speaks, Northwest Regional Director
Bureau of Indian Affairs
911 NE 11th Ave.
Portland, OR 97232
We encourage you to send copies to Mr. James Cason, Associate Deputy Secretary (James_Cason@ios.doi.gov), and Mr. George Skibine, Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs (George_Skibine@ios.doi.gov). Both can be reached via U.S. mail at:
Department of the Interior
1849 C Street NW
Washington, DC 20240
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For more information, check out the CARS Web site:
Who’s behind the proposed casino project?
Many of CARS’ stories about this casino proposal describe it as the work of “the Cowlitz Tribe.” But every time we attribute it to “the Tribe,” we wince.
The casino project is being driven by the Salishan-Mohegan partnership, which includes:
+ the Mohegan Tribal Gaming Authority (49.15 percent)
+ David Barnett (Salishan Co.), son of the late tribal Chairman John Barnett (sharing 43 percent with the Paskenta Band of Nomlaki Indians)
+ the Paskenta Band of Nomlaki Indians, California (sharing 43 percent with David Barnett)
+ the Mohegan Tribe, Connecticut (7.85 percent)
According to the development agreement, the partnership would receive fees equal to 3 percent of total project costs. The management agreement states that Salishan-Mohegan would manage, operate and maintain the casino-resort for seven years and earn 24 percent of annual net revenues.
We want to be clear: CARS is critical of the casino proposal and the way it has been pursued. Beyond its involvement in the casino, we have no issue with the Cowlitz Tribe.
The casino project is being driven by the Salishan-Mohegan partnership, which includes:
+ the Mohegan Tribal Gaming Authority (49.15 percent)
+ David Barnett (Salishan Co.), son of the late tribal Chairman John Barnett (sharing 43 percent with the Paskenta Band of Nomlaki Indians)
+ the Paskenta Band of Nomlaki Indians, California (sharing 43 percent with David Barnett)
+ the Mohegan Tribe, Connecticut (7.85 percent)
According to the development agreement, the partnership would receive fees equal to 3 percent of total project costs. The management agreement states that Salishan-Mohegan would manage, operate and maintain the casino-resort for seven years and earn 24 percent of annual net revenues.
We want to be clear: CARS is critical of the casino proposal and the way it has been pursued. Beyond its involvement in the casino, we have no issue with the Cowlitz Tribe.
About CARS
Citizens Against Reservation Shopping (CARS) is a group of Clark County, Wash., citizens formed in June 2005 and led by longtime Vancouver businessman and civic leader Edward Lynch.
CARS opposes the Cowlitz Tribe's plan to build a casino in Clark County in part because it objects to the practice of "reservation shopping." This is the practice of selecting an ideal casino site and then working to have it given reservation status.