Members of the Wisconsin congressional delegation are urging the Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke to move expeditiously on the Ho-Chunk Nation Beloit casino plan.
Senator Tammy Baldwin, and Reps. Mark Pocan, Ron Kind and Gwen Moore last week sent a letter to Zinke asking him to move the plan forward that the Bureau of Indian Affairs is now considering.
They wrote: “We write today to urge full, fair and prompt consideration of the Ho-Chunk Nation’s application to acquire land for gaming purposes in Beloit, Wisconsin. The Beloit community and the Ho-Chunk Nation have eagerly awaited progress for years at the federal level on the casino plan,” the members of Congress wrote. “This proposed gaming facility will provide significant economic benefits for the City of Beloit and Rock County, the State of Wisconsin and the Ho-Chunk Nation.”
They added that the casino would generate business development and infrastructure improvements to the region and provide housing, schooling and health services for tribal members.
The tribe proposes to build a casino with a 300-room hotel on 38 acres adjacent to Interstate 39/90. The tribe says it could begin construction in 2020 and open a casino the following year.
Supporters hope to get the BIA to release the draft environmental impact statement to the public and then holding hearings.
The casino, which could generate 2,000 jobs, is supported by the city of Beloit, which has a high unemployment rate and high poverty.
This is the second casino that has been proposed for Beloit. In the 1990s the Bad River and St. Croix Chippewa bands proposed one.
