Obudsman
Picked for Oregon Casino Process
As reported by the Oregonian:
"George Skibine, director of the federal
Office of Indian Gaming Management, will serve
as the ombudsman overseeing the Cowlitz Indian
Tribe's application for a casino and resort
near La Center, Rep. Brian Baird announced Wednesday.
"Also,
four federal agencies involved in tribal gaming
will participate in public meetings Feb. 15-
16 in Clark County to explain their roles in
the application process.
"In
October, Baird, D-Wash., asked Interior Secretary
Gale Norton to appoint an ombudsman and set
public meetings. He made the request shortly
after a Vancouver-based opposition group said
the public was not getting enough information
about the application process.
"…The
regional Bureau of Indian Affairs office in
Portland will recommend to Skibine, perhaps
as early as next year, whether the tribe's application
to take 152 acres near La Center into federal
trust should be approved. Taking the land into
federal trust probably would result in the proposed
casino being built on the site…"
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