St. Regis Mohawk Tribe: News & Resources

AKWESASNE , NY — The Saint Regis Mohawk Tribal Council announced today that the Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of Indian Affairs George Skibine has forwarded a letter to New York Governor George Pataki’s Office responding to questions previously posed by the Governor in a November 4, 2005 letter to Mr. Skibine. The Department of the Interior letter addresses the concerns of the Governor’s Office and paves the way for his written concurrence to the Secretarial two-part determination originally issued in April 2000 supporting the Tribe’s efforts to build a Class III casino at the Monticello Raceway.

“The Tribal Council is confident that the Department has responded adequately and affirmatively to Governor Pataki and that the Tribe’s development of a casino project in Sullivan County has moved one step closer to becoming reality,” said Tribal Chief Lorraine M. White.

The Interior Department’s letter reconfirms the validity of its April 6, 2000 positive two-part determination. It also provides a timeframe for the Department to finish its review of the environmental studies that were previously submitted for the Monticello Raceway project. Most significantly, the letter sets a completion date for the entire land-in-trust process upon conclusion of its environmental review and following receipt of the Governor’s concurrence.

Tribal Chief Barbara A. Lazore stated, “We are extremely pleased with the BIA’s responses and view this letter as a significant milestone in our efforts to develop a Catskills casino in Sullivan County . Governor Pataki has the Department of the Interior’s answers to all of his questions and can now do his part of this process, which is to concur with the two-part determination that continues to remain valid for our project.”

Mr. Skibine stated that the Department’s analysis of the Tribe’s Raceway proposal that resulted in an affirmative April 2000 two-part determination issued by former Assistant Secretary of the Interior Kevin Gover remains of continuing validity. The 2000 Secretarial determination is one of only five ever issued since the adoption of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA) in 1988. The Secretarial two-part determination found the project to be in the best interest of the Tribe and further determined that it would have no significant impacts on the surrounding communities.

The Interior letter noted that the Department is currently in the process of reviewing the project’s environmental work under the BIA’s land acquisition regulations, Part 151. Mr. Skibine provided a timeframe of January 2006 for the Department to complete its review and provide a determination as to whether or not the Tribe’s environmental submissions satisfy the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).

The Tribe previously submitted an Environmental Assessment in accordance with NEPA, which included a full Environmental Impact Statement under the State Environmental Quality Review Act. These studies were updated as recently as 2004 when the lead state and federal agencies reaffirmed their findings that the casino project will not have an adverse impact on the local environment.

The Tribe is confident that the Department will issue a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) when it successfully completes its environmental review next month and conclusively determines that the Tribe's environmental analysis provided in support of the Monticello Raceway application is sufficient.

According to Tribal Chief Lorraine M. White, “Mr. Skibine’s letter is definitive proof that the Tribe’s development of a casino project at the Monticello Raceway is now squarely in the hands of the Governor. The Department has committed to completing the land-in-trust process within two months of receiving the Governor’s concurrence. In light of this commitment, we again ask the Governor to support our efforts to develop a casino in Sullivan County and to issue his immediate concurrence.”

The Tribal Council will be scheduling a meeting with the Governor for early in the new year to discuss the Tribe’s progress and plans for the development of its casino project at the Monticello Raceway.








		PRESS RELEASE For immediate release: Tsiothohrha/December 21, 2005 For information contact: Public Information Office St. Regis Mohawk Tribe Tel: (518) 358-2272 ext. 236 Fax: (518) 358-9675 BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIR'S LETTER PAVES WAY FOR GOVERNOR PATAKI TO CONCUR WITH SAINT REGIS MOHAWK TRIBE’S TWO-PART DETERMINATION FOR MONTICELLO RACEWAY Sets Completion Dates For Land-In-Trust and Environmental Reviews AKWESASNE , NY — The Saint Regis Mohawk Tribal Council announced today that the Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of Indian Affairs George Skibine has forwarded a letter to New York Governor George Pataki’s Office responding to questions previously posed by the Governor in a November 4, 2005 letter to Mr. Skibine. The Department of the Interior letter addresses the concerns of the Governor’s Office and paves the way for his written concurrence to the Secretarial two-part determination originally issued in April 2000 supporting the Tribe’s efforts to build a Class III casino at the Monticello Raceway. “The Tribal Council is confident that the Department has responded adequately and affirmatively to Governor Pataki and that the Tribe’s development of a casino project in Sullivan County has moved one step closer to becoming reality,” said Tribal Chief Lorraine M. White. The Interior Department’s letter reconfirms the validity of its April 6, 2000 positive two-part determination. It also provides a timeframe for the Department to finish its review of the environmental studies that were previously submitted for the Monticello Raceway project. Most significantly, the letter sets a completion date for the entire land-in-trust process upon conclusion of its environmental review and following receipt of the Governor’s concurrence. Tribal Chief Barbara A. Lazore stated, “We are extremely pleased with the BIA’s responses and view this letter as a significant milestone in our efforts to develop a Catskills casino in Sullivan County . Governor Pataki has the Department of the Interior’s answers to all of his questions and can now do his part of this process, which is to concur with the two-part determination that continues to remain valid for our project.” Mr. Skibine stated that the Department’s analysis of the Tribe’s Raceway proposal that resulted in an affirmative April 2000 two-part determination issued by former Assistant Secretary of the Interior Kevin Gover remains of continuing validity. The 2000 Secretarial determination is one of only five ever issued since the adoption of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA) in 1988. The Secretarial two-part determination found the project to be in the best interest of the Tribe and further determined that it would have no significant impacts on the surrounding communities. The Interior letter noted that the Department is currently in the process of reviewing the project’s environmental work under the BIA’s land acquisition regulations, Part 151. Mr. Skibine provided a timeframe of January 2006 for the Department to complete its review and provide a determination as to whether or not the Tribe’s environmental submissions satisfy the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The Tribe previously submitted an Environmental Assessment in accordance with NEPA, which included a full Environmental Impact Statement under the State Environmental Quality Review Act. These studies were updated as recently as 2004 when the lead state and federal agencies reaffirmed their findings that the casino project will not have an adverse impact on the local environment. The Tribe is confident that the Department will issue a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) when it successfully completes its environmental review next month and conclusively determines that the Tribe's environmental analysis provided in support of the Monticello Raceway application is sufficient. According to Tribal Chief Lorraine M. White, “Mr. Skibine’s letter is definitive proof that the Tribe’s development of a casino project at the Monticello Raceway is now squarely in the hands of the Governor. The Department has committed to completing the land-in-trust process within two months of receiving the Governor’s concurrence. In light of this commitment, we again ask the Governor to support our efforts to develop a casino in Sullivan County and to issue his immediate concurrence.” The Tribal Council will be scheduling a meeting with the Governor for early in the new year to discuss the Tribe’s progress and plans for the development of its casino project at the Monticello Raceway. --30-- The St. Regis Mohawk Tribal Council is the duly elected and federally recognized government of the Mohawk people.