The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians in North Carolina recently released a statement noting a bill sponsored by Senators Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Richard Burr and Thom Tillis of North Carolina allowing the Catawba Indian Nation of South Carolina to build a casino in Kings Mountain, North Carolina “faces growing opposition.”
The legislation, S. 790, would authorize 16 acres of land in Cleveland County, North Carolina to be taken into federal trust for a new Catawba Indian Nation reservation, strictly to operate a casino. “The proposed site would encroach upon Cherokee aboriginal territory as defined by the Cherokee Treaty of 1777 and the 1884 Royce map that was adopted by the federal Indian Claims Commission,” the statement said. It also pointed out, “In 2013, a bipartisan group of North Carolina General Assembly members opposed an attempt by the Catawba Nation to acquire the same land for an off-reservation casino.”
The statement noted, “Thirty-eight of the 50 members of the North Carolina Senate–including President Pro Tem Phil Berger–have signed a letter to the U.S. Senate Indian Affairs Committee expressing opposition to the bill” and five rural Western North Carolina county governments–Graham, Haywood, Swain, Jackson and Cherokee– adopted resolutions against it.
The tribe’s statement also pointed out, “This bill attempts to bypass requirements in the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act that require the Department of the Interior to engage in extensive consultations with local, state and tribal governments for economic, environmental, and infrastructure impact assessments. The bill also would take away the right of the governor to concur with or oppose the Department of Interior’s recommendation regarding a new casino following the consultation phase for the first time in history.”
North Carolina Senator Jim Davis, who represents Western North Carolina, said the measure “skirts the formal input process that gives state and local governments in North Carolina, and their constituents who live near the proposed casino site, a voice in the process. I encourage the U.S. Senate to reject this unprecedented overreach.”
Jackson County Commissioner Ron Mau added, “It is concerning both North Carolina U.S. Senators have lent their names to a bill that would allow a tribe recognized by South Carolina to construct a casino in North Carolina to the detriment of their constituents.”
Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians Principal Chief Richard Sneed stated, “We appreciate the support from surrounding counties and a super-majority of the North Carolina Senate who are concerned with this federal attempt to silence the voices of North Carolina stakeholders, including the Eastern Band. We have been proud to partner with North Carolina for decades. As it stands, this bill would create a harmful precedent: the first time Congress has expressly authorized an Indian tribe to acquire land into trust simply for owning and operating an off-reservation casino. We encourage the Catawba Indian Nation to go through the same proper process in their home state of South Carolina that we have worked through for decades as partners with our state of North Carolina.”
The Eastern Band operates Harrah’s Cherokee Casino and Cherokee Valley River Casino in North Carolina. In October 2018, the tribe made campaign contributions totaling more than $358,600 to several Republican lawmakers, including $5,200 to U.S. Senator Katy Harrington, $2,500 to state Senator Warren Daniel, $25,000 to the state Democratic House and Senate Caucus and $60,000 to the state Republican Caucus. The tribe has donated more than $1.6 million in campaign contributions to North Carolina politicians, according to the state Board of Elections.
