Mashpee tribe hits 'key milestone'
MASHPEE — The Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe is touting a U.S. Department of Interior decision to publish the Draft Environmental Impact Statement for its proposed $500 million Taunton casino in the Federal Register, calling it a "key milestone."
The tribe is proposing to have 151 acres in Taunton taken into federal trust for its Project First Light. The environmental review is one of a half-dozen federal hurdles to that project and includes scrutiny of the tribe's 170 acres in Mashpee.
Release of the environmental report will trigger additional public hearings and, ultimately, lead to a Final Environmental Impact Statement for the proposed project.
A final decision could still be years away on the tribe's application, however. Records show the Cowlitz Tribe of Washington had its draft environmental report published in 2006 and the final review did not get approved until two years later. Federal approval of the overall land application then took another two years.
The Mashpee Wampanoag still have not received a decision on the most important hurdle, whether a U.S. Supreme Court ruling, known as the Carcieri decision, can be overcome. The tribe expected word on that in early 2013, but it hasn't materialized.
Once the draft environmental report is in the Federal Register, the public will be able to obtain copies and make comments on the environmental review. Public hearings are likely to be scheduled for later this fall, according to the tribe's press release.
Nedra Darling, a spokeswoman for the federal Bureau of Indian Affairs, did not return a call or email seeking to verify the tribe's announcement.
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