BIA Reviewing Tribe’s Illinois Proposal

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After collecting public comments in January and February, the federal Bureau of Indian Affairs is reviewing the environmental impact of the Kansas-based Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation’s proposed 24-hour electronic bingo hall on 128 acres it purchased in 2006 for .8 million near Shabbona in DeKalb County, Illinois. Department of Interior spokeswoman Nedra Darling said a preliminary report should be completed by October.

Tribal officials said the casino would create 650 construction jobs and 400 permanent jobs with an annual payroll of $40 million. They estimated the facility would attract 930,000 people annually, and direct $2.25 million in annual revenue sharing and $400,000 for payments in lieu of taxes to DeKalb County and $250,000 in annual shared revenue for the village of Shabbona. In addition, the tribe would donate $25,000 annually to charity.

To get Interior Department approval for the casino, the tribe must prove it has a credible claim to the land; tribal officials contend the land is part of 1,280 acres the U.S. government gave to Chief Shab-eh-nay under a treaty in 1829.

Additionally, the Interior Department requires that the casino would help “facilitate tribal self-determination, economic development or Indian housing” and that it would not harm the environment.

Another consideration causing some confusion is a federal policy change made in 2011 by Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs Larry Echo Hawk. He abandoned the rule allowing tribes to have gambling facilities within a “commutable distance” of a reservation, or about 40 miles. Current guidelines do not specifically reference an allowable distance.

The proposed bingo hall has its supporters and opponents. Peter Dordal, president of DeKalb County Taxpayers Against the Casino, said the bingo-hall land was not formally considered a reservation; it was given to Chief Shab-eh-n for his personal use and later he tried to sell it. In addition, in 2000, Dordal moved a few hundred feet south of the bingo-hall land which the tribe later purchased. Dordal said traffic and storm water runoff would destroy natural areas.

But state park concessioner Denny Sands noted, “Most businesses want to come into the community and have the community give them incentives to come. This is just the opposite. The tribe is coming into the community to be a good neighbor, to give back to the community.”