County to appeal ruling on Mechoopda casino

Wednesday, May 13, 2009  

Supervisors in Butte County, California, voted 4-1 to continue fighting a casino proposed by the Mechoopda Tribe

"Butte County will not stand idly by while massive new casinos destroy its open space, groundwater and other natural resources," Oroville Supervisor Bill Connelly said in a press release quoted by The Chico Enterprise-Record.

The tribe plans a casino on a 645-acre site in the county. The National Indian Gaming Commission said the tribe qualified for a "restored" exception in Section 20 of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act.

The county challenged the NIGC's Indian lands determination and claimed the tribe was not properly recognized and said the tribe wasn't entitled to land outside of its former reservation. Judge Henry H. Kennedy Jr. of the district court in Washington, D.C., dismissed the claims in a decision last month.

Get the Story:
Mechoopda casino ruling awaits appeal (The Chico Enterprise-Record 5/13)

Earlier Story:
Judge dismisses lawsuit against Mechoopda casino (4/15)