Since 2003, the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria (FIGR) has actively and aggressively pursued a casino project that would decimate the local environment by destroying endangered species habitat and the area's vernal wetlands and coastal grasslands habitat, by damaging the Santa Rosa Plain aquifer beyond its ability to recover and by pumping tons of pollutants into the air from casino traffic.

Today the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service released its final ruling on proposed critical habitat for Sonoma County's highly-endangered Tiger Salamander.  The ruling excluded the 252 acres of the Graton Rancheria casino site, which is an island surrounded by land already designated as salamander preserve. 

The decision by Fish & Wildlife to exclude the Graton Rancheria casino site as critical habitat for the Tiger Salamander was not unexpected.  Federal agencies have a mandate to facilitate tribal projects. 

The United States Code allows the Secretary of the Interior to "exclude any area from critical habitat if he determines that the benefits of such exclusion outweigh the benefits of specifying such area as part of the critical habitat." 

STC101 is going forward with its planned NEPA lawsuit, a lawsuit that will be massive in scope and will cover areas from traffic, air quality, water and sewer to endangered species, social issues and the proposed casino's impact on existing tribal casinos. 

"We're looking forward to having the court weigh in on the casino's very flawed environmental study," said Pastor Chip Worthington, founder of STC101.  "Graton Rancheria has been working aggressively for months to get the casino site excluded as critical habitat.  They have become one of the most rapacious developers in the history of Sonoma County."

The planned NEPA lawsuit will take at least four years to litigate.  Today's decision by Fish and Wildlife appears to left intact the acreage bordering the casino site as well as the property purchased by Station Casinos for future developments as a high-end shopping center.  This could  prevent the casino site from being expanded in the future.

ENDS