Casi-NO
Casi-NO
Michigan tribal casino hits another stumbling block
The Gun Lake Band of Pottawatomi Indians will likely face another roadblock to developing their planned casino near Muskegon, Mich. Opponents of the plan were scheduled to file a lawsuit in Washington federal court in June to block the casino development, according to a report in the Muskegon Chronicle.
Michigan Gambling Opposition, or MichGO, will be the plaintiff in the case against the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs.
Among other things, MichGO will argue that the government should have required a more thorough environmental impact statement before agreeing to take 147 acres into trust for the gaming complex planned by the Gun Lake Band, the paper reported.
The tribe was expecting the lawsuit, but expressed disappointment over it regardless.
"Our tribe has worked for decades to regain land that was illegally taken from us," Tribal Chairman D.K. Sprague said in a statement. "We have played by the rules, and the vast majority of our neighbors and local governments support this project."
Sprague said the tribe would intervene in the case to "vigorously defend" its interest.
MichGO has been among the most vocal opponents of granting the Gun Lake Band, also known as the Match-E-Be-Nash-She-Wish, a state gaming compact. The group also hopes to prove that the BIA's finding last year that the casino would have "no significant impact" on the environment failed to fully account for the regional environmental, economic and social impact of the casino.
It will also charge that the government failed to identify a proper exception under the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act for gaming on land taken into trust after the act went into effect.
The Gun Lake Band is the only recognized Michigan tribe without a gaming compact. An earlier deal struck under Gov. John Engler was left unsigned. Sprague called the case baseless and said similar suits wasted millions of taxpayer dollars.
-Matt Connor
Michigan tribal casino hits another stumbling block
The Gun Lake Band of Pottawatomi Indians will likely face another roadblock to developing their planned casino near Muskegon, Mich. Opponents of the plan were scheduled to file a lawsuit in Washington federal court in June to block the casino development, according to a report in the Muskegon Chronicle.
Michigan Gambling Opposition, or MichGO, will be the plaintiff in the case against the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs.
Among other things, MichGO will argue that the government should have required a more thorough environmental impact statement before agreeing to take 147 acres into trust for the gaming complex planned by the Gun Lake Band, the paper reported.
The tribe was expecting the lawsuit, but expressed disappointment over it regardless.
"Our tribe has worked for decades to regain land that was illegally taken from us," Tribal Chairman D.K. Sprague said in a statement. "We have played by the rules, and the vast majority of our neighbors and local governments support this project."
Sprague said the tribe would intervene in the case to "vigorously defend" its interest.
MichGO has been among the most vocal opponents of granting the Gun Lake Band, also known as the Match-E-Be-Nash-She-Wish, a state gaming compact. The group also hopes to prove that the BIA's finding last year that the casino would have "no significant impact" on the environment failed to fully account for the regional environmental, economic and social impact of the casino.
It will also charge that the government failed to identify a proper exception under the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act for gaming on land taken into trust after the act went into effect.
The Gun Lake Band is the only recognized Michigan tribe without a gaming compact. An earlier deal struck under Gov. John Engler was left unsigned. Sprague called the case baseless and said similar suits wasted millions of taxpayer dollars.
-Matt Connor
