Responding to concerns raised by Citizens Against Reservation Shopping and others, Rep. Brian Baird (D-Wash.) has asked the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) to release the Business Plan included in the Cowlitz Tribe's preliminary Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for a 30-day public comment period.

 

The Business Plan and Unmet Needs Statement, part of the Cowlitz Tribe's application for a mega-casino and resort proposed for Clark County, were to have been part of a revised trust land application filed on behalf of the tribe last summer. Instead they appeared, without notice, as an appendix to the preliminary Final EIS when it was released in March by BIA to cooperating agencies.

 

In a letter dated Wednesday, Rep. Baird wrote, "I can understand the concerns of some members of the community and appreciate their desire to thoroughly evaluate all elements of the application before a final decision on the Cowlitz Tribe's application is made."

 

>>Read Rep. Baird's letter.

>>See CARS' May 14 news release.

 

# # #