Tri-Cities 12 Tribes Casino - News Archive

12 Tribes Tri-Cities Casino | June 2024 Update

The U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs is currently reviewing an application from the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation to transfer 184 acres of land owned by the Tribes in Pasco, WA, into federal trust for the purpose of building a 12 Tribes casino and hotel. A federal decision is expected by the end of 2024 or early 2025.

In April 2024 the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) published a "Notice of Intent" to prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) for the Tri-Cities casino project. The notice opened a 60-day period for public comments on the scope and issues to be considered in the EIS. The comment period is April 3, 2024 to June 3, 2024.

A public scoping meeting was held April 24, 2024 where the Yakama Nation expressed their strong opposition to the 12 Tribes Tri-Cities casino project. The Yakama Nation claim the casino site is on their ancestral homeland. The Yakama Nation owns the Legends Casino in Toppenish, WA. A second tribe, the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, also opposes the casino for similar reasons. The Umatilla Tribe owns the Wildhorse Resort & Casino in Pendleton, OR.The Umatilla

The Scoping Report is expected before summer. The BIA will also issue Draft EIS with a public comment period this summer or fall. A Final EIS will follow by end of year or early 2025.

The Environmental Impact Statement and supporting information for the Colville Tribes Fee-to-Trust and Casino Project will be published at colvilleeis.com/.

The Colville Tribes purchased the 184 acres in May 2019 for $10.8 million. The land is located on North Capitol Avenue near the Kartchner exit in Pasco, Franklin County, Washington.

Tri-Cities Casino Moves Ahead | April 2024 Update

The Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation want to build an Indian gaming casino in Pasco, Washington. The approval process began in April 2022 when the Tribes submitted an application to the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs that would transfer 184 acres of tribal-owned land into federal trust for the purpose of building a casino. The Pasco casino would operate under the terms of the U.S. Indian Gaming Regulatory Act rather than state or local jurisdictions.

During the past two years the Bureau of Indian Affairs has conducted an environmental study to determine the impact of the proposed casino on the Tri-Cities area. An official statement was published by the federal government on April 3, 2024 announcing a "Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation's Proposed Fee-to-Trust and Casino Project, Franklin County, Washington".

The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) will seek public comments and suggestions for preparing an official Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) regarding the Pasco casino application. The BIA will conduct a scoping comment period from April 3 to May 3. The government information on the environment impact report is available here.

A virtual public meeting is scheduled for 6 pm on April 24th. To register to attend this meeting, go here.

Written comments may be submitted by May 3rd.

Email:
Tobiah Mogavero, NEPA Coordinator
Bureau of Indian Affairs
tobiah.mogavero@bia.gov

Mail or hand deliver:
Bryan Mercier, Regional Director
Bureau of Indian Affairs
Northwest Region
911 NE 11th Avenue
Portland, Oregon 97232

The BIA will publish a Scoping Report later this Spring. That report will be followed with a draft EIS and a public comment period in late Summer or Fall 2024. A date for the Final Environmental Impact Statement has not been announced.

For more details about the Pasco casino project, click here.

Pasco Casino Project Update - Sept 2023

The Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation wants federal approval to build the first tribal casino in the Tri-Cities. An application was submitted to the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs last April, and it is currently under review in the Office of Indian Gaming.

The next step in the process will be a federal environmental impact study, which is expected to begin soon. In the meantime, the tribes have released the first artist renderings of the casino, which will include a hotel.

Provided by courtesy of Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation

Provided by courtesy of Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation

The federal approval of the Pasco casino is a 16-step process. The tribes expects a final decision by late 2024 or early 2025.

The Colville Tribes currently operate three casinos in north central Washington: 12 Tribes Coulee Dam Casino in Coulee Dam, 12 Tribes Lake Chelan Casino in Manson, and 12 Tribes Omak Casino Hotel in Omak.

The nearest tribal casinos to the Tr-Cities are the Wildhorse Casino and Resort, owned by the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Reservation in Pendleton, Oregon, and the Legends Casino & Hotel, owned by the Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation in Toppenish, Wahington.

Pasco casino application submitted to BIA

The Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation have applied to the Bureau of Indian Affairs to transfer 184 acres of tribe-owned land in Pasco into trust for the Colville Reservation. If approved, the Tribes will build a 12 Tribes casino, travel stop, and possibly a water park on the land.

"We're pleased to announce this important milestone in our efforts to enhance economic development for the Colville Tribes."

- Jarred-Michael Erickson, Colville Chairman

The federal application process to review and approve the casino proposal will take up to three to five years to complete.

The Pasco casino is strongly opposed by the Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation, which disputes the ancestral claims of the Colville tribe in the Tri-Cities area. The Tri-Cities include Kennewick, Pasco, and Richland with a combined population around 300,000. The Yakama plan to build their own casino in that area and are currently considering potential sites to purchase.

Colville Confederated Tribes plan casino in Pasco

The Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation are in the early stages of planning economic development projects for land in north Pasco. The tribes purchased 184 acres of land there in 2019 and 2020. The location is east of Highway 395 and north of the Kartchner Street exit on Capitol Avenue.

Project planning includes a casino with a convenience store and fuel station along with other retail property. At one time a water park was considered as a possibility.

The planning and approval process for an Indian gaming casino will take several years. If successful, a Pasco casino could be larger and employ more people than the other three casinos owned by the Colville Tribes. The tribes own 12 Tribes Resort Casino in Omak, WA, Coulee Dam Casino in Coulee Dam, WA and Mill Bay Casino in Manson, WA.

Pasco and the Tri-Cities region have deep historic and cultural ties to the Palus Tribe, a member of the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation.

Yakama Nation opposes potential Colville casino in Pasco

There is a dispute between the Yakama Nation and the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation over ancestral rights to 184 acres of farmland purchased in May 2019 by the Colville Tribes. At stake is a potential Colville casino on that land.

The Colville Tribes have applied to the U.S. Department of Interior to transfer the land into federal trust for the purpose of building a casino. The Tribes have also signed an agreement with the City of Pasco to work together on the project.

In a three-page letter to the Pasco City Council the Yakama Nation wrote: "This is the Yakama Nation's notice to the city of Pasco that we object to the Colville's attempt to lay any claim within the open and unclaimed lands of our treaty territory. We stand firm in our position that the Colvilles do not belong in Yakama Nation ancestral territories, and we remain prepared to oppose this development at every level."

Similar notices were sent to Gov. Jay Inslee, Franklin County, the cities of Kennewick and Richland, the U.S. Department of Interior and the Bureau of Indian Affairs.

The Colville Tribes claim the land as homeland of the Palus, now known as "Palouse," and one of the 12 tribes in the Colville Confederation.

The Yakama Nation claims the land was handed down from "Tamanwala, the Creator." The Yakama Treaty of June 9, 1855 identifies Pasco as part of the Yakama territory as "thence down the Snake River to its junction with the Columbia River; thence up the Columbia River to the 'White Banks,' below the Priest's Rapids."