Artist's rendering of the proposed Cowlitz Casino Resort.
The Cowlitz Tribe of Washington remains hopeful that it will break ground on a casino in 2015. The tribe started the land-into-trust process for the Cowlitz Casino Resort after gaining federal recognition in 2000. But litigation from opponents -- including a tribe with an existing gaming facility -- has delayed progress. “We are a ward of the federal government, and we’re their trustee, and they’re supposed to take care of us,” Chairman Bill Iyall told McClatchy Newspapers. The tribe's main hurdle is the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Carcieri v. Salazar. The decision restricts the land-into-trust process to tribes that were "under federal jurisdiction" as of 1934. Opponents, including the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde in Oregon, Clark County in Washington and the city of Vancouver in Washington, say the Cowlitz don't meet the requirement. The Obama administration is backing the tribe in court and supports a fix to the Carcieri decision. But opponents in Congress -- including some Democrats -- are worried about an increase in the number of Indian gaming facilities. Get the Story:
Is tribal gambling too big? ‘Enough is enough,’ opponents say (McClatchy Newspapers 1/8) Federal Register Notice:
Land Acquisitions; Cowlitz Indian Tribe (May 8, 2013) Related Stories:
Arguments expected next year in Cowlitz Tribe casino lawsuit (10/02)
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