St. Regis Mohawk Tribe: News & Resources

AKWESASNE , NY — The Saint Regis Mohawk Tribal Council announced in a letter to Secretary of the Interior Gale Norton that it is in agreement and reaffirmed its efforts to move forward with development of a Catskills casino at the Monticello Raceway in Sullivan County . Despite recent disagreements over which casino project to pursue, the Tribal Council has resolved their differences on this matter and is uniting their efforts to focus solely on the Raceway site.

“The entire tribal Council has decided that it is in the best interest of our tribal members to resolve our disagreements and to support the Monticello Raceway as the site for our Catskills casino project,” said Tribal Chief Barbara A. Lazore. “I’m pleased that we can now move forward together and devote all of our resources to creating economic opportunities for our community, Sullivan County , and the State.”

In the December 6, 2005 letter, all three Chiefs and three Sub-Chiefs of the Tribal Council support the recent decision to pursue the Monticello Raceway application, which received a two-part determination to take land-into-trust from the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) in April 2000.

Approximately ten years ago, the Tribe submitted an application to the BIA requesting that a 29-acre parcel of land located on the Monticello Raceway in Monticello , New York be taken into federal trust on behalf of the Tribe for the purpose of gaming. At that time, the Tribe intended to develop and operate a Class III gaming facility in partnership with Catskill Development, now Empire Resorts.

In April 2000, former-Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs Kevin Gover issued an affirmative two-part-determination, pursuant to Section 20(b) of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act of 1988. The rarely issued BIA finding indicated that a Mohawk casino on the Monticello site would be beneficial to the long-term future of the Tribe and would not be detrimental to the surrounding community.

Assistant Secretary Gover submitted his finding to Governor George Pataki and requested his concurrence to complete the BIA’s land-into-trust process, a final step needed for the Tribe to go forward with a gaming facility at the Raceway. Before the Governor could concur however, the Tribe changed gaming partners and decided to pursue the development of a casino at another site in Sullivan County . As a result, the Tribe submitted another application to take land-into-trust at the Kutsher’s site for the purpose of gaming. The application for the Monticello site however, was never withdrawn.

The Tribal Council made the decision to pursue the Monticello Raceway application after being notified by Interior Department officials, including the Solicitor, that the 2000 two-part determination is still valid. The Tribal Council has since notified the Governor’s Office of their decision to only pursue the Raceway site and requested his immediate concurrence to complete the two-part determination process and begin development of a Catskills casino.

“Continuing to debate this issue of which site is better is not healthy for our community or us,” said Tribal Chief James W. Ransom. “It is time for me to respect their decision and for all of us to work together for the betterment of the community.”

Operating since 1958 as a gaming facility, the Monticello Raceway’s existing infrastructure can handle the Mohawk's proposed gaming facility. The Raceway is located next to Route 17, which is scheduled to become Interstate 86, and can accommodate in excess of twenty-five thousand people. The Village of Monticello has allocated municipal water and sewer resources and the local power utility company has also made upgrades to the Raceway's power grid that will meet the facility’s requirements.

The Tribal Council has been meeting with the Interior and Justice Department officials to discuss any remaining environmental issues that may need to be addressed. It is the Tribe’s position that the Environmental Assessment that was submitted in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), which included a full Environmental Impact Statement under the State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA), is sufficient. These studies were updated as recently as 2004 when the lead state and federal agencies reaffirmed their findings that the project will have no significant impacts to the natural environment or surrounding community.

The full Tribal Council remains confident that the Monticello Raceway is the most viable site for a Catskills casino and is requesting the Governor to give his concurrence to take land-into-trust for the purpose of gaming.

Chief Lorraine M. White said, “The entire Tribal Council has carefully deliberated on this issue and is ready to build a world-class gaming facility at Monticello Raceway. The Raceway is in everyone’s best interest and we call on the Governor to support our efforts to complete development of a Catskills casino.”








		PRESS RELEASE For immediate release: Tsiothohrha/December 7, 2005 For information contact: Public Information Office St. Regis Mohawk Tribe Tel: (518) 358-2272 ext. 236 Fax: (518) 358-9675 TRIBAL COUNCIL UNITES TO PURSUE CATSKILLS CASINO AT THE MONTICELLO RACEWAY IN SULLIVAN COUNTY Continues to Seek Governor Pataki’s Concurrence for 2000 Two-Part Determination AKWESASNE , NY — The Saint Regis Mohawk Tribal Council announced in a letter to Secretary of the Interior Gale Norton that it is in agreement and reaffirmed its efforts to move forward with development of a Catskills casino at the Monticello Raceway in Sullivan County . Despite recent disagreements over which casino project to pursue, the Tribal Council has resolved their differences on this matter and is uniting their efforts to focus solely on the Raceway site. “The entire tribal Council has decided that it is in the best interest of our tribal members to resolve our disagreements and to support the Monticello Raceway as the site for our Catskills casino project,” said Tribal Chief Barbara A. Lazore. “I’m pleased that we can now move forward together and devote all of our resources to creating economic opportunities for our community, Sullivan County , and the State.” In the December 6, 2005 letter, all three Chiefs and three Sub-Chiefs of the Tribal Council support the recent decision to pursue the Monticello Raceway application, which received a two-part determination to take land-into-trust from the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) in April 2000. Approximately ten years ago, the Tribe submitted an application to the BIA requesting that a 29-acre parcel of land located on the Monticello Raceway in Monticello , New York be taken into federal trust on behalf of the Tribe for the purpose of gaming. At that time, the Tribe intended to develop and operate a Class III gaming facility in partnership with Catskill Development, now Empire Resorts. In April 2000, former-Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs Kevin Gover issued an affirmative two-part-determination, pursuant to Section 20(b) of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act of 1988. The rarely issued BIA finding indicated that a Mohawk casino on the Monticello site would be beneficial to the long-term future of the Tribe and would not be detrimental to the surrounding community. Assistant Secretary Gover submitted his finding to Governor George Pataki and requested his concurrence to complete the BIA’s land-into-trust process, a final step needed for the Tribe to go forward with a gaming facility at the Raceway. Before the Governor could concur however, the Tribe changed gaming partners and decided to pursue the development of a casino at another site in Sullivan County . As a result, the Tribe submitted another application to take land-into-trust at the Kutsher’s site for the purpose of gaming. The application for the Monticello site however, was never withdrawn. The Tribal Council made the decision to pursue the Monticello Raceway application after being notified by Interior Department officials, including the Solicitor, that the 2000 two-part determination is still valid. The Tribal Council has since notified the Governor’s Office of their decision to only pursue the Raceway site and requested his immediate concurrence to complete the two-part determination process and begin development of a Catskills casino. “Continuing to debate this issue of which site is better is not healthy for our community or us,” said Tribal Chief James W. Ransom. “It is time for me to respect their decision and for all of us to work together for the betterment of the community.” Operating since 1958 as a gaming facility, the Monticello Raceway’s existing infrastructure can handle the Mohawk's proposed gaming facility. The Raceway is located next to Route 17, which is scheduled to become Interstate 86, and can accommodate in excess of twenty-five thousand people. The Village of Monticello has allocated municipal water and sewer resources and the local power utility company has also made upgrades to the Raceway's power grid that will meet the facility’s requirements. The Tribal Council has been meeting with the Interior and Justice Department officials to discuss any remaining environmental issues that may need to be addressed. It is the Tribe’s position that the Environmental Assessment that was submitted in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), which included a full Environmental Impact Statement under the State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA), is sufficient. These studies were updated as recently as 2004 when the lead state and federal agencies reaffirmed their findings that the project will have no significant impacts to the natural environment or surrounding community. The full Tribal Council remains confident that the Monticello Raceway is the most viable site for a Catskills casino and is requesting the Governor to give his concurrence to take land-into-trust for the purpose of gaming. Chief Lorraine M. White said, “The entire Tribal Council has carefully deliberated on this issue and is ready to build a world-class gaming facility at Monticello Raceway. The Raceway is in everyone’s best interest and we call on the Governor to support our efforts to complete development of a Catskills casino.” --30-- The St. Regis Mohawk Tribal Council is the duly elected and federally recognized government of the Mohawk people.