Pokagon Band sees opposition to work at casino site in Indiana

Friday, January 22, 2016

A view of the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians land-into-trust site in South Bend, Indiana. Image from Google Maps

The Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians hasn't gained approval to build a casino in Indiana but local opponents are raising concerns about some work being proposed there.

The tribe wants to fill in wetlands and alter a stream at the 166-acre site in South Bend. Opponents don't think the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has solicited enough input from the public so the agency extended the comment period on the proposed permit.

"Our main concern is that the public is just not being heard, and maybe we hold a public hearing," Jake Teshka of Citizens for a Better Michiana, which opposes the tribe's casino, told WSBT.

The tribe is defending the work, which only affects 2.68 acres of the entire site. The Army Corps permit is separate from the environmental impact statement that the Bureau of Indian Affairs is evaluating for the casino.

Get the Story:
What impact would an Indian casino have on South Bend's environment? (WSBT 1/22)
Planning developments in possible casino raise environmental questions (ABC57 1/22)

Federal Register Notices:
Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Proposed Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians Fee-to-Trust Transfer for Tribal Village and Casino, City of South Bend, St. Joseph County, Indiana (March 12, 2015)
Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for the Proposed Pokagon Band Tribal Village Fee-to-Trust Acquisition and Casino Project in the City of South Bend, St. Joseph County, IN (August 24, 2012)