Thank you -- and what's next

Dear CARS members and friends:

I want to thank all of you who recently took the time to send in your comments and concerns regarding the proposed Cowlitz casino to the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA). The public comment period for the Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) ended Aug. 11, and we understand that at least 1,000 people wrote in. Top federal decision-makers have told us that local sentiment is given great weight in these decisions, so please know that your input has been very important.

The next step in the EIS process is usually that the Department of the Interior (DOI) (of which BIA is part) issues a Record of Decision (ROD). It might be a little more complicated in this case. Here's why:

The Cowlitz Final EIS has come under heavy fire from many stakeholders. Clark County calls it "unreliable" and "inadequate." La Center writes that the city "remains quite frustrated" that the EIS has "disregarded entirely or inadequately addressed" many of the city's comments. Vancouver calls the EIS "fundamentally flawed." Many stakeholders, including local elected officials and state legislators, have asked BIA to withdraw the EIS and produce a supplemental EIS, which would go through a Draft EIS and Final EIS process. We hope BIA listens.

On Aug. 10, the Longview Daily News paraphrased BIA Regional Director Stanley Speaks saying the process is ongoing and that "anything was possible." He indicated that the EIS "is not even close to being finalized before December."

So we wait -- first to see whether the BIA produces a supplemental EIS. We also wait for the federal government to do the right thing: tell the Cowlitz casino developers that their flawed proposal has no place in Clark County's future.

We'll keep you posted.

Sincerely,

Ed Lynch

For more information, check out The Columbian:

"Vancouver, La Center officials rap Cowlitz casino study" (Aug. 17)
"Latest casino studies make bad idea look worse" (Aug. 19)