The Issue
Will Oregon's first off-reservation casino be placed in the heart of the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area?

The outcome will be determined by Gale Norton, Secretary of the Interior.

Why should Secretary Norton act differently than Governor Kulongoski?
Though Governor Kulongoski does not appear to be concerned with the precedent that will be set by approving Oregon's first off-reservation casino, Secretary Norton apparently is. Ironically, Governor Kulongoski wrote very eloquently about the dangers for Oregon is we pursued revenue from gambling. See, "When Gambling Calls the Shots," Ted Kulongoski and David Bragdon's 1996 New York Times editorial against gambling (PDF format).

Furthermore, it is likely that the off-reservation casino compact signed by the Governor violates two provisions of Oregon’s constitution. See, "Off-reservation site challenged by citizen suit" in the Salem Statesman-Journal and "Casino opponents in 2 cities band together in legal fight" from the Eugene Register-Guard.

Oregon Senators Gordon Smith and Ron Wyden can influence Norton's decision, so they need to hear that Oregonians oppose this casino. This is why they will be copied on any letters to Secretary Norton.

I've heard that if the Cascade Locks site is not approved we'll get a casino in Hood River
Casino advocates have sought to leverage approval of the Cascade Locks site by threatening to develop a casino resort on a 40-acre parcel of “trust” land located east of Hood River Oregon within the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area. This parcel is located on very steep slopes and is inaccessible by vehicle. Numerous legal and logistical impediments prevent a casino from being built at this site. The empty threat of a casino on this trust parcel should not be used as grounds for approving as casino in Cascade Locks. There would, however, be little standing in the way of a new casino development on reservation land along US 26, along the popular route between Portland and Bend.

The Impact
The Columbia Gorge will be severely impacted by the proposed 500,000 square foot casino and its estimated 3,000,000 visitors per year.

Increased air pollution in the Columbia River Gorge
Air pollution is already at a dangerous level in the Gorge. A recent study showed that fog and rain in the Gorge is 10 to 30 times more acidic than usual Northwest rainfall, and it stands among some of the most polluted airsheds in the country, including Pittsburgh and Los Angeles. The source of the pollution is mainly from mobile sources and power plants outside of the Columbia River Gorge. Air pollution and acid rain is already causing damage to natural, scenic and cultural resources in the Gorge. Adding millions of additional cars and bus trips to bring the 3,000,000 annual visitors and 1,200 employees to the casino will dramatically increase traffic congestion within the Columbia Gorge and make visibility and air pollution far worse. (See Scenic & Acidic, The Oregonian)

Harm that will be done to water quality, fish and wildlife habitat
Millions of square feet of casino development along the Columbia River may harm water quality, fish and wildlife habitat. The area around the casino is home to bald eagles (listed as a “threatened” species), ospreys, great blue herons, salmon (listed as a “threatened” species) and steelhead (listed as a “threatened” species). The casino resort development would be likely to cause harm to fish and wildlife habitat.

Scenic Impacts
The sprawling mega-casino with its immense parking lots and profuse lighting will create a visual blight that will be visible for miles within the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area.

Urban Area expansion into the National Scenic Area
Locating a large casino and resort in the small town of Cascade Locks would also lead to an explosion of uncontrolled growth, increasing pressure on this small town to greatly expand their urban growth boundary that currently protects surrounding scenic area lands.

A dangerous precedent will be set
All casinos in Oregon are located on reservation lands, consistent with the state policy on casino gambling. Allowing one off-reservation casino in the Columbia Gorge would create pressures to allow more off-reservation casinos in the Gorge and throughout Oregon. If approved, this casino will upset the balance that has been established in Oregon by limiting casinos to reservation sites and will put casinos within a 30 minutes drive of the Portland metropolitan area. At least three other tribes have a stake in the Columbia Gorge and they may all demand equal treatment. The Grande Ronde Tribes have already sought to establish a casino within Portland’s urban area and likely pursue this action with renewed vigor if the Columbia Gorge casino is approved.

The proposed casino resort will harm small businesses
The casino proposal has already harmed economic development in Cascade Locks. The Port of Cascade Locks terminated a lease for Green Hill Lumber Company to make room for the proposed casino, sending 35 jobs out of town. Concerns over casino traffic were one of the reasons cited by Homeshield Industries for choosing not to relocate their business to Cascade Locks, with a projected 65 living-wage jobs. The proposed off-reservation casino resort would draw business away from restaurants and hotels within Cascade Locks.

What about jobs?
Expanded gambling does provide new jobs but jobs are also destroyed because of the diversion of expenditures from competing forms of entertainment. Also, the jobs created are often of lower value than the jobs destroyed as gambling industry work is characterized by high turnover rates (Stedham and Mitchell, 1996) and tends to be insecure, part-time, low-skilled, and low paid employment (Henriksson and Lipsey, 1999). (Review of Gambling Literature in the Economic Policy Domains, Alberta Gaming Research Institute, Oct. 2000)

Gambling Addiction
Gambling addiction hurts our families and burdens our communities. Based on empirical evidence stemming from studies conducted in Oregon, it is estimated that approximately 35,800 adult Oregonians are problem gamblers and an additional 23,000 are pathological gamblers. Most recent national estimates place the social-economic cost of problem gamblers at approximately $3,000 each and $11,000 for each pathological gambler – or an estimated social-economic cost in excess of $361 million for Oregonians. Gambling treatment programs that are within 50 miles of a casino treat three times the proportion of casino gamblers than other programs. (Source: Oregon Department of Human Services, Gambling Treatment Programs Evaluation Update, 2003)

Take Action
Please visit our action page to send your message to Interior Secretary Norton. Your message will be copied to our senators and others. Click here to take action now >>

Links for Additional Information
>> Cascade Lock No Casino
This web site by the residents of Cascade Locks has links to more info (and some passionate arguments from a local perspective).

>> Friends of the Columbia Gorge
Friends of the Columbia Gorge works to ensure that the beautiful and wild Columbia Gorge remains a place apart, an unspoiled treasure for generations to come.

>> Wu calls for feds to stop Gorge casino (04/29/2005) Salem Statesman Journal

>> Gambling takes aim at Columbia Gorge, THE (Tacoma) NEWS TRIBUNE, April 27th, 2005 02:35 AM

>> In Our View: Threat to Gorge (04/08/2005) Vancouver Columbian
Kulongoski should have resisted the Cascade Locks deal. If he had, we might not have a casino bringing visual blight, increased traffic and air pollution to the gorge at either location. Former Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber rightly resisted the pitch by the Warm Springs to bring their casino closer to town and off-reservation. He understood that the precedent set in doing so is horribly dangerous. While communities can do very little about the right of Indians to set up casinos on reservation lands, the rest of the state does not have to become a gambling mecca.