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Feds continue review for casino at raceway
 December 23, 2005
By Jessica Gardner
Times Herald-Record

Monticello - Federal officials say they need another month to decide if plans for an Indian-run casino at the Monticello Raceway can move forward, or whether more environmental reviews are necessary.

According to a letter written by the U.S. Department of the Interior, at least a portion of the approvals granted to the St. Regis Mohawk project at the racetrack in 2000 are still valid, despite a five-year interruption in progress.

In April 2000, the Interior Department approved the tribe's application to acquire sovereignty over land at the track and build a casino there. In fact, the tribe only needed Gov. George Pataki's blessing at the time to convert the parcel into tribal territory.

The tribe abandoned those plans in favor of a deal with Park Place Entertainment, now Harrah's, for a casino at Kutsher's Resort and Sports Academy in hopes of faster approvals. They never came.

On Nov. 2, the tribe decided to jockey for a better position - again. This time, the Mohawks abandoned Kutsher's to return to the raceway, now a racino, and its owner, Empire Resorts. That immediately raised questions about whether approvals granted in 2000 for the raceway project were still good.

In his letter, George Skibine, an acting deputy assistant secretary of the Interior, confirmed that one portion of the required approvals is still valid and awaits Pataki's signature.

"This letter has removed a good deal of uncertainty regarding our project's federal approvals," Empire Resorts' president and CEO, David Hanlon, said in a statement.

Pataki's office is maintaining a wait-and-see stance, at least until the Interior Department decides whether the environmental reviews fulfill federal requirements.

Interior is expected to give its answer next month.

If the Interior states that the environmental paperwork is good - presuming Pataki concurs by then - it could be just 60 days before everyone involved is ready to transfer the land into trust for a casino development.

Empire's announcement about Skibine's favorable letter caused Empire's stock to jump 62 cents to $7.25 a share Wednesday.

Ottaway News Service reporter John Milgrim contributed to this story.

www.recordonline.com/archive/2005/12/23/news-jgletter-12-23.html