The Ute Indian Tribe of The Uintah And Ouray Reservation, which unsuccessfully tried to put a casino in the Colorado town of Dinosaur in 2011 has returned with another proposal to buy land in Utah, put it into trust, and open a casino, also near Dinosaur.
The tribe, which is based in Fort Duchesne, Utah, has submitted a proposal to the Bureau of Land Management to buy 2,453 acres that would connect its Utah reservation to the land it owns in Dinosaur, a town of about 350 population. A spokesman for the BLM says it is reviewing
The BLM purchase is new. Dinosaur Mayor Richard Blakley supports the proposal, saying that it would create up to 400 jobs and so does the town council. The town is dependent on oil and gas development, which have been slow locally in recent years.
Blakley told the Grand Junction Daily Sentinel, “If you’re not moving forward you’re dying. We’re seeing our businesses slowly going away.” The mayor is trying to enlist the backing of the neighboring town of Rangely in Rio Blanco County, which has also expressed some interest, but only if Moffat County is supportive.
The county has had some talks with tribal representatives but nothing has happened officially.
The tribe has been involved in oil and gas for many years, but wants to diversify. Gaming is banned in Utah but is allowed in Colorado to a limited degree. Moffat County is also trying to diversify from an absolute dependence on gas and oil.
Ron Wopsock, a member of the tribal council, told the Daily Sentinel, “Basically, it’s in the talking stages but nothing solid. There would have to be support. I guess that’s the difficult part of it.”
The 2011 proposal would have required the approval of the Colorado governor because the land the Utes wanted to buy in Dinosaur wouldn’t have been adjacent to its existing reservation. The lt. governor of the time, Joe Garcia, expressed reservations because the reservation wasn’t adjacent to the city, so the idea was scrapped. The BLM plan would rectify that objection.
BLM spokesman David Boyd told the Daily Sentinel “If we move forward to formally consider the proposal, the public will have a chance to weigh in.” The 1976 Federal Land Policy and Management Act gives BLM through the Secretary of the Interior to sell federal land. The land must fit certain criteria including “expansion of communities and economic development, which cannot be achieved prudently or feasibly on land other than public land and which outweigh other public objectives and values,” such as scenic or recreational values.
The law calls for land to be sold through competitive bidding, but that qualification can be set aside when it is being transferred to state or local government or non-profits. The tribe argues that it qualifies as a local government.
The process could take as long as two years, according to Mayor Blakley, even if all the local parties are on board.
