Friday, March 23, 2007

Amador County is challenging a group that plans a casino in the Plymouth
area, questioning whether it qualifies as a legitimate American Indian
tribe.
County officials fear another casino would usher in a wave of traffic,
environmental destruction and gambling addiction. They say the U.S.
Department of Interior was wrong to list the Ione Band of Miwok Indians as a
federally recognized tribe. The department ruled last September that the
tribe could claim 228 acres in and around Plymouth under the Indian Gaming
Regulatory Act. Amador County's lawsuit says the federal government did not
have a sound basis for that decision. The 535-member Ione Band plans to
build a $250 million hotel and casino complex. "We're very hopeful the
federal court will do the right thing and uphold the Department of
Interior's decision," Miwok Chairman Matthew Franklin said. "We're very
happy with that decision and feel strongly it is just."