The Enterprise Rancheria, a tribe in Yuba County, in Northern California, has been trying to build the Fire Mountain Casino for nearly 20 years.
Many proponents of the casino accuse opponents of fighting the casino for no other reason than to prevent competition to existing Indian casinos.
The regional newspaper that serves the area, the Appeal-Democrat, recently called out U.S. Rep. Doug LaMalfa for promoting a bill in Congress that would prevent the tribe from building the Fire Mountain facility near the small town of Wheatland, basing his opposition on the charge of “reservation shopping” that has been leveled against the tribe for acquiring land off the reservation and then applying to put it into trust.
However, the Enterprise Rancheria argues that it once ranged throughout the Yuba-Sutter area until the federal government forced them onto a 40-acre reservation, which was then flooded because of the building of a federal dam. The tribe used money it was paid in compensation to buy the land where it hopes to build its casino.
Two weeks ago the tribe suspended building on the casino until it hears from a federal judge who ruled in its favor earlier this year, but has been appealed to for a reconsideration of that decision.
Last week the tribe complained that all of its opponents were trying to smother it with constant frivolous lawsuits to slow down the building process.
Tribal Chairman Glenda Nelson told CBS Sacramento “We have had the opposition do everything in its power to delay us…we don’t have the money.” The delays has prevented the tribe from being able to raise the $170 million it needs to finish the first phase of construction.
One of those opponents, Citizens for a Better Way, complains, “The casino’s in a very bad place. We have a poor county…then all of a sudden the grocery stores start selling beer instead of milk. It really brings a community down.”
