A federal decision to reject the Seneca-Cayuga Tribe's application for a land trust in Cayuga County isn't surprising to county legislator George Fearon.
The U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs last week turned down the Oklahoma tribe's application for a trust in Montezuma to establish an off-reservation casino and hotel.
The Seneca-Cayuga tribe submitted an application on April 13, 2006, to get 230 acres it owns put into a trust. The tribe had also attempted to work out a deal with the city of Auburn, but it never acquired land in the city.
Tribe Chief Paul Spicer could not be reached for comment. James E. Cason, the associate deputy secretary of the interior, wrote a four-page letter addressed to Spicer, Friday, Jan. 4 that outlined the government's decision.
Now that the tribe can't build a gaming facility on the land, Fearon said the tribe can't use other tactics to build a gaming facility. The tribe could challenge the denial to the Interior Board of Indian Appeals.
“We don't have an objection to them owning the land. We have no objection to them being here,” Fearon said.
The decision also could stop a similar issue arising with the Cayuga Nation.
“It has implications to the Cayuga Nation to give them the same signals,” Fearon said. “There's the general standard across the board.”
The Cayuga Nation does not have a reservation in the county. The Seneca-Cayuga's tribe is in northeast Oklahoma and has descendants from a several tribes, including Cayugas, Senecas and Oneidas.
The BIA representatives have said they want tighter regulations for off-reservations gambling operations to stop the process of “reservation shopping.”
The Seneca-Cayuga's was one among a dozen applications rejected because of this shift. Two other denied applications were for proposed casinos in the Catskills, including a $600 million casino in Monticello the St. Regis Mohawk Tribe which wanted to build.
Part of restrictions has to do with the distance between the trust and the tribe.
The Oklahoma tribe's application suggested money from the Cayuga County facility could then support the reservation.
However, Cason's letter stated that the casino would be more than 1,500 miles away from the tribe's location in Oklahoma, which would not allow employment opportunities for those living on the reservation, according to his statement. Furthermore, it may encourage members to leave the reservation to work in New York.
“The potential departure of a signification number of reservation residents and their families could have serious and far-reaching implications for the remaining tribal community and its continuity as a community,” Cason wrote.
Staff writer Jessica Soule can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 267 or jessica.soule@lee.net
The Seneca-Cayuga tribe submitted an application on April 13, 2006, to get 230 acres it owns put into a trust. The tribe had also attempted to work out a deal with the city of Auburn, but it never acquired land in the city.
Tribe Chief Paul Spicer could not be reached for comment. James E. Cason, the associate deputy secretary of the interior, wrote a four-page letter addressed to Spicer, Friday, Jan. 4 that outlined the government's decision.
Now that the tribe can't build a gaming facility on the land, Fearon said the tribe can't use other tactics to build a gaming facility. The tribe could challenge the denial to the Interior Board of Indian Appeals.
“We don't have an objection to them owning the land. We have no objection to them being here,” Fearon said.
The decision also could stop a similar issue arising with the Cayuga Nation.
“It has implications to the Cayuga Nation to give them the same signals,” Fearon said. “There's the general standard across the board.”
The Cayuga Nation does not have a reservation in the county. The Seneca-Cayuga's tribe is in northeast Oklahoma and has descendants from a several tribes, including Cayugas, Senecas and Oneidas.
The BIA representatives have said they want tighter regulations for off-reservations gambling operations to stop the process of “reservation shopping.”
The Seneca-Cayuga's was one among a dozen applications rejected because of this shift. Two other denied applications were for proposed casinos in the Catskills, including a $600 million casino in Monticello the St. Regis Mohawk Tribe which wanted to build.
Part of restrictions has to do with the distance between the trust and the tribe.
The Oklahoma tribe's application suggested money from the Cayuga County facility could then support the reservation.
However, Cason's letter stated that the casino would be more than 1,500 miles away from the tribe's location in Oklahoma, which would not allow employment opportunities for those living on the reservation, according to his statement. Furthermore, it may encourage members to leave the reservation to work in New York.
“The potential departure of a signification number of reservation residents and their families could have serious and far-reaching implications for the remaining tribal community and its continuity as a community,” Cason wrote.
Staff writer Jessica Soule can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 267 or jessica.soule@lee.net
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Dan W wrote on Jan 10, 2008 5:48 PM: