Senator Salazar's Nomination Hearing Raises New Opportunity for Gorge Casino Opponents
Congressman Wu and environmental leaders call on new administration to deny Gorge casino
PORTLAND, Ore., Jan. 15 /PRNewswire/ -- This morning, the Senate Energy
and Natural Resources Committee panel conducted the nomination hearing for
Senator Ken Salazar, incoming Secretary of the United States Department of the
Interior.
As the chief steward of our public lands, Interior Secretary Nominee
Salazar will inherit one of Oregon's most significant land use decisions -- a
proposal to build Oregon's first off-reservation casino in the heart of the
Columbia River Gorge. Leaders from the Oregon conservation community and
Congressman David Wu are calling on the incoming Secretary to protect the
Columbia River Gorge from the threat of a large-scale casino development.
Among his top priorities listed this morning, Senator Salazar vowed to
"make sure America's treasured landscapes are protected, preserved and
enhanced." In his introduction to the Committee, the Secretary Nominee pledged
to "move forward to protect lands and sites of national significance with a
new vigor." The Columbia River Gorge was designated as a National Scenic Area
in 1986 and remains one of the most popular national landscapes in the United
States.
"Senator Salazar is poised to take on the decision-making responsibility
for placing a massive gambling casino in the heart of the Columbia Gorge,"
said Congressman Wu. "I am committed to working with him and other members of
President-elect Obama's incoming administration, briefing them on issues of
importance to me and my constituents, and joining together to preserve
Oregon's distinctive natural heritage for future generations. It is my firm
belief that this proposed gambling casino should not be approved."
"After several years and millions of dollars, Gorge casino proponents have
failed to convince the most anti-environment Administration to approve a
casino in the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area," said Kevin Gorman,
Executive Director of Friends of the Columbia Gorge. "We are calling on this
new, pro-environment Administration to take the next step, end the ten-year
saga, and reject the Gorge casino proposal."
"The Columbia River Gorge is a breathtaking area, recognized by Congress
in 1986 for its outstanding scenic, natural, cultural, and recreational
resources," said Jeremiah Baumann, Advocate for Environment Oregon. "Building
a massive casino in the Columbia River Gorge is tantamount to building an
amusement park at the gates of Yellowstone National Park. Our scenic treasures
deserve protection and we are looking to Senator Salazar and our national
leaders to deny the Gorge casino proposal."
"Sport fishing for salmon and steelhead is popular at the mouth of Herman
Creek, adjacent to the proposed casino site," said Tom Wolf, Oregon State
Council Chair for Trout Unlimited. "Construction of a massive casino and
adjoining parking lots would adversely affect fish that migrate through Herman
Creek within the National Scenic Area."
