Indian Casino Deal Subject to New Environmental Impact Scrutiny

Wednesday 27th May 2020

The Secretary of the Interior improperly authorized the North Fork Rancheria of Mono Indians to operate a hotel and casino in California without considering its impact on the environment as required by federal law, the Ninth Circuit ruled Wednesday.

Secretarial procedures issued in 2016 allowed the tribe to take 305 acres of land in Madera, California, into a trust to develop the hotel and casino. They were issued after the state failed to consent to a tribal-state compact. Multiple community groups and individuals sued, saying the procedures violated the National Environmental Policy Act and the Clean Air Act among other...