The U.S. Department of the Interior recently sent Washington Governor Jay Inslee a letter saying the Spokane Tribe’s proposed off-reservation casino project “is in the best interests of the Spokane Tribe and not detrimental to the surrounding community.” A tribal spokesman said the Spokane Tribe Economic Project will bring more than 5,000 construction and permanent jobs to the area.
Opponents immediately began pressuring Inslee to block the plan, alleging it could harm Fairchild Air Force base nearby. But Tribal Council Chairman Rudy Peone said those allegations have been raised for years and were “put to bed” by numerous studies and reports. He said base officials could have raised concerns about the casino since it first was proposed in 2006. Most recently, he said, they had two years to comment since the Environmental Impact Statement was issued. “You can’t hang your hat on encroachment. That’s fear-mongering,” Peone said. The environmental impact study said the casino and hotel only raised a potential for increased road traffic that could be mitigated. And in his letter to Inslee, Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs Kevin Washburn wrote that a high-ranking Air Force official in February promised “to work collaboratively with the Spokane Tribe as the project moves forward.”
Peone said he believes Inslee “will be very deliberate, but he’ll be fair.”
Inslee has expressed concerns about the loss of military units in Washington and formed a group to address military downsizing but the proposed casino has not been discussed. Inslee spokesman, David Postman, said the governor’s office was developing a plan to talk to the various parties interested in the casino.
Among those opposed to the casino is U.S. Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers. She said she supports the tribe’s economic development efforts but opposes the proposed casino location. “Fairchild comes first. If we want to keep Fairchild, our responsibility is to look at potential encroachment issues,” McMorris Rodgers said. Asked about the Air Force’s lack of opposition to the project, she said, “The Air Force is never going to say you can’t build a particular project.”
State Senate Majority Leader Mark Schoesler and state Rep. Kevin Parker also were among a bipartisan group of legislators urging Inslee T to reject the casino plan. They said allowing the tribe to build a casino so far off its reservation would “open the floodgates” for new tribal gaming facilities in the state. Parker stated his main concern is the potential impact on Fairchild if Congress authorizes another round of base closures. “At the end of the day, what we want to avoid is putting Fairchild back on the list,” he said.
The Board of Spokane County Commissioners also opposes the proposed casino. Commissioner Al French said, “The Bureau of Indian Affairs’ failure to reject the Spokane Tribe’s application is incomprehensible. We’re going backwards, we’re not going forwards.” Commissioner Todd Mielke said, “The governor has said repeatedly protecting military bases is a top priority. The ball is now in the governor’s court. We hope he will demonstrate his intention to protect Fairchild Air Force Base. We are prepared to stand beside him.”
Greater Spokane Inc., the area’s chamber of commerce and economic development agency, also said it opposed the casino location because “activity that might impair current and future missions on the base” and said the tribe should build its project elsewhere. “Although alternative locations for this development have been presented to the Spokane Tribe, they have chosen not to pursue them,” a spokesperson said. Peone said he knew of no such offer in the three years he has been council chairman.
A study commissioned by the tribe indicated most of Fairchild training flights would avoid the resort and casino, and that they were not a threat to the base. “If you repeat something long enough and loud enough, people will believe it,” Peone said. “After all our efforts, it’s incredibly gratifying to receive the Interior Department’s approval. We want to create jobs and economic opportunity for our tribe and the entire community.”
The casino would be the second on the West Plains near Airway Heights. The Kalispel Tribe operates Northern Quest Casino and has opposed the Spokane Tribe’s proposal.
