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Proposed Cascade Locks casino green lighted

Posted on August 8th, 2010

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After decades of planning by the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs, plans of building a casino in Cascade Locks is going full throttle at last. This comes after the final environmental impact assessment on the planned casino was finally completed by the U.S. Department of the Interior late last week, generating public attention once again. Efforts of the department started as early as 2005, when the initial draft of the assessment was furnished, in which Cascade Locks was named as the site more favorable for casino operation over four other potential locations. Opposition came from then two candidates for the state of Oregon’s governorship, despite local tribes welcoming the plans as something to spur economic growth in the area.

The tribes, when talks of building a casino on their 175-acre land in Hood River started in 2000, had already favored the move, and in fact led the proposal. However plans started stalling when the neighboring community voiced opposition, making the tribes look into an unused industrial site owned by the Port of Cascade Locks. For their plans to push through, the tribes had to acquire the land first, which should first be placed in a federal trust. It took a number of years before the entire procedure started rolling, and the final environmental impact statement is the last step before a decision of the trust is to be made by Interior Secretary Ken Salazar. Prior to the department secretary’s determination, the environmental impact assessment will be undergoing a comment period for 30 days. Upon Salazar’s approval of the statement and Oregon Gov. Ted Kulongoski’s signature, only then will the tribes go ahead with the project.

A lawyer for the tribes, Howard Arnett, at a press conference on Friday stated, “This isn’t a decision document, but it does set the stage for approval. It gives us scientific data to respond to the critics of the project.” It is Arnett’s belief that the U.S. Department of the Interior will not prolong the comment period anymore, but the process may be further delayed by any request to be filed by groups opposing the project. The main group challenging the project is the Friends of the Columbia Gorge which has plans to file a request, according to their conservation director Michael Lang. Lang, in a statement declares that the group does not agree with the Interior Department’s findings that the Cascade Locks area is the best location for the casino. The group is proposing another site on Oregon (Route) 26 close to the Warm Springs reservation. The group further claims that their opposition to the project stems from the casino’s projected size and its possible effects to the scenic and natural beauty of Cascade Locks.

The tribes’ proposal on the 25-acre plot of land that will be placed in a trust includes a 90,000-square-foot gaming casino, a hotel with 250 rooms, a cultural center and various facilities for entertainment. The tribes also plan on leasing a 35-acre site adjacent to the proposed casino site for parking. This land is also owned by the port. The general manager of the Port of Cascade Locks, Chuck Daughtry, has expressed full support for the project, citing economic benefits that the project will bring to the area. The tribes have repeatedly stated that the casino remains to be the only viable solution to their financial troubles. The 5,000 people that make up the tribes face a dark economic picture, including an unemployment rate of 60 percent. Charles Calica, the tribes’ secretary-treasurer and CEO claimed in a press conference that they are expecting a $9 million deficit in their $50 million budget for the year 2011. He further stated that the collapse of the natural resource services industry in the state has lent a huge blow to the tribes.

Another casino venture in Khaneeta, Orgon that the tribes are a part of gives them at most only $1.5 million in annual income. With this new casino venture realized, the tribes expect as much as $100 million per year in income, even after money for in-state college scholarships and other state programs have already been deducted and a seven-year debt servicing period would be over. The process is expected to expose its political colors now that the project is finally in its final stages, with Governor Kulongoski expressing support to the project. The two candidates poised to replace Kulongoski both have expressed opposition to the casino being built at the Cascade Locks site. Their opposition may also stem from contributions they have received from the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde who also own a casino, the Spirit Mountain Casino in the area, and thus naturally oppose a competing casino.