User:Peteforsyth/Columbia Gorge casino

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A Columbia Gorge casino has been proposed, to be sited in Cascade Locks, Oregon, United States.

The casino, which must be approved by the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs, a department of the United States Department of the Interior, would be the first off-reservation casino in the state.[1]

It would be built and operated by the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs.[1]

The proposed casino is backed by Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski, the City of Cascade Locks, and the government of Hood River County. [1]

The project would cover 60 acres, have 250 hotel rooms. It would create an estimated 1,700 jobs, more than twice the labor force of Cascade Locks.[1]

It would be sited in the heart of the Columbia River Gorge, which in 1986 was named the first National Scenic Area in the country.[citation needed]

It is 40 miles (over Mount Hood) from the closest border of Warm Springs Indian Reservation.[1]

(Find a source with the actual commute distance, which is more like 70 miles.)[citation needed]

Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne has opposed similar off-reservation casinos. In 2007 the Bush administration sent letters to 22 tribes, including the Burns Paiute Tribe of eastern Oregon, denying bids for off-reservation casinos. The gorge casino was not among them. The 40 mile distance may make a difference and be regarded as "commutable."[1]

In 2006 the National Marine Fisheries Service stated that runoff from the casino could harm water quality in the Columbia River and Herman Creek.[1]

The tribe currently operates Kah-Nee-Ta High Desert Resort and Casino.[1]

(Find a source that notes the opposition of other tribes.)[citation needed]

The Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs unveiled two casino designs in April 2004; at the time Kulongoski was undecided on whether to support plans for a gorge casino. One site was on 40 acres of tribe-owned property east of Hood River. It would have been eight stories high. Hood River residents opposed the plan.[2]

"In 1999, then-Gov. John Kitzhaber declared he wouldn't allow the Warm Springs' casino in Cascade Locks",[2] but prior to stepping down in late 2002 said he "wouldn't block" the process if the incoming governor intended to support the casino.[3] (is the headline a typo??)

Hood River County Commissioner Carol York was a strong advocate of the Cascade Locks location, rather than the Hood River location.[2]

Kitzhaber's departure seen as an opportunity for the Confederated Tribes.[4]

In 2002 tribes invested record amounts of money into Oregon politics, including $40,000 supporting Kulongoski.[5]

In 2000, Warm Springs said it intended to buy Government Island near Cascade Locks.[6]

Tribe "put on hold" the plan for the Hood River site in July 2002.[7]

Cascade Locks casino described as "low-rise, earth-tone."[2]

In 2001, the Confederated Tribes purchased 120 acres of land adjoining the 40 acres outside Hood River, with the intent of using them for a casino.[8]

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Partlow, Joshua. "Gamble in the Gorge?", The Oregonian, 2008-03-11. 
  2. ^ a b c d Wendy Owen. "Warm Springs shows cards on gorge casino option", The Oregonian, April 24, 2004. 
  3. ^ Janie Har. "Kitzhaber says he won't block casino", The Oregonian, November 8, 2002. 
  4. ^ Jim Lynch. "Silence of Oregon's Governor Elect Adds Fuel to Fight over Casino", Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News, The Oregonian, November 21, 2002. 
  5. ^ Jim Lynch. "Native American Tribes Invest Record Cash in Oregon Politics", Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News, The Oregonian, January 15, 2003. 
  6. ^ "Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Reservation of Oregon", Indian Country Today, April 12, 2000. 
  7. ^ Durbin, Kathie. "Casino project east of Hood River apparently shelved by indian tribe", The Columbian, July 11, 2002. 
  8. ^ Herrington, Gregg. "Warm Springs indians purchase gorge land for casino", The Columbian, May 15, 2001.