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Oregon Agreement Creates Controversy

CASCADE LOCKS, Oregon – As reported by the L. A. Times: "Not much goes on in this fading mill town in the Columbia River Gorge.

"…Though it's precisely that rustic charm that has spurred a fledgling tourist business here — 40 miles or so east of Portland — local, state and Indian leaders envision a much greater visitor lure on the horizon: a huge casino that they project could draw 3 million customers a year and reinvigorate the town's ailing economy.

"The proposed casino, strongly backed by Gov. Ted Kulongoski, a Democrat, would be the first in Oregon built on non-Indian land and among just a handful of off-reservation Indian-owned gambling centers in the country.

"The agreement the governor reached last month with the prospective owner and operator, the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs, has quickly become a major controversy in Oregon — because of its precedent-setting potential as well as its proposed location in a town that calls itself the Heart of the Gorge.

"Opponents say the idea is something close to blasphemy, because the Gorge, a spectacular ribbon of waterfalls, forested trails and stunning overlooks across the mighty Columbia, is a federally designated national scenic area, and it is intended to stay scenic.

"…The off-reservation casino would be a first for Oregon, but the debate over the idea also has national relevance. Indian tribes have several proposals pending in other states that would let them open casinos away from their traditional tribal lands and typically closer to major urban areas with bigger customer bases…"

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