Indian casino hinges on OK from fed agency

A final decision on the fate of a Sullivan County casino that would be operated by the St. Regis Mohawk Tribe won't come in the near future, according to the federal agency overseeing the process.

Gov. Eliot Spitzer last week announced an agreement with the tribe to build a casino in the Catskills.

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Spitzer then forwarded a request to U.S. Department of Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne to place the 30-acre piece of land near the raceway into a trust, which would allow the casino to be built in compliance with the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act. The proposed site is hundreds of miles away from the nearest Mohawk tribal land, thus necessitating the need for the land to be taken into trust.

Nedra Darling, a spokeswoman for the Department of the Interior Bureau of Indian Affairs, said last week the department could not specifically comment on Spitzer's letter since it had not yet been received.

She said the department would have to thoroughly review Spitzer's request, and also take into consideration a lawsuit filed recently against the proposed plans. Earlier this month, a group of farm and conservation organizations sued the federal department to halt the project, arguing that a more thorough environmental review is needed. The case, is in federal court in Manhattan.

"There is not an imminent decision," Darling said. "This is going to take a little a bit of time."

U.S. Rep. Maurice Hinchey, D-Hurley, whose district includes Sullivan County, urged Kempthorne to take the land into trust.

"While I understand that the Department of Interior has concerns about the proliferation of off-reservation Indian casino gaming, the proposed Mohawk casino has undergone many years of scrutiny and environmental review and should be allowed to move ahead," he said.

Hinchey urged the Department of Interior to move forward "expeditiously."

"The St. Regis Mohawk tribe has acted in good health and complied with all federal and state requirements necessary for advancing their casino proposal," he said.

The proposed $600 million casino project would be $1.5 million square feet and feature 4,000 gaining stations. It is expected to create more than 3,000 full-time jobs, according to Empire Resorts, which is handling the development and building of the project. Empire also operates the raceway. which will remain a separate entity from the casino, said Charles Degliomini, Empire spokesman.

The proposed piece of land to be taken into trust, "does not include the raceway," he said.

"We are the tribe's development and management partners, and the land is theirs," he said. "The tribe will not operate the harness racing."

Degliomini said once the casino receives final approval, it would take an estimated six months of planning followed by 18 months of construction to be completed.

Under the agreement with Spitzer, the state will receive 20 percent of revenues from slot machines for the first two years, 23 percent for the next two years, and 25 percent thereafter.

The state would not be receiving a portion of the sales tax money from cigarette sales, but that could change in the future, said Christine Anderson. a spokeswoman for the governor.

"The agreement only covers the casino, we're not dealing with the cigarette issue right now," she said. "(The agreement) is simply to move forward with the casino."

Anderson said the Spitzer administration would not be against more casinos moving in to the Catskills down the road.

"I think (the administration) is open to the possibility to there being a few more," she said. "This came up first and that's why it's being agreed upon first."

In a statement, Spitzer said the casino would be an economic boon to the area.

"By working together, we can establish a premier gaming facility that will produce significant revenues for the tribe and the state, and help spark a resurgence of the Catskills region."

This would be the second casino for the Mohawks in the state if it comes to fruition. The Akwesasne Mohawk tribe operates a casino in northern New York, near the Canadian border.

The Seneca Nation operates two casinos in Western New York, and they are trying to open a third, but facing local opposition.

The Oneida Indian Nation operates Turning Stone Casino in Verona, near Syracuse.

Mark Emery, director of media relations for the Oneida's, said the Oneida Nation, "isn't really concerned about (the Catskills casino) from a competition standpoint."