Long Island casino critics want environmental review halted
A group opposed to Las Vegas Sands Corp. building a casino-hotel at the Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, New York, wants the nearby town of Hempstead to waive an environmental review that could pave the way for the project.
Say "no" to casinos, which have opposed the gambling project from the start and believe environmental reviews should be halted. That's because a New York appeals court last month blocked a plan to transfer the Nassau County Coliseum lease to Sands. The lawsuit was filed by Hofstra University, another outspoken critic of the casino plan.
In November, the New York State Supreme Court invalidated the lease transfer, agreeing with Hoftstra's claim that the deal violated the state's Open Meetings Law. The Court of Appeal later deferred the decision. The college filed the lawsuit in April.
Saying "No" to Casinos wants Hempstead to cancel two public comment sessions scheduled for Thursday, Jan. 18, at the Long Island Marriott in Uniondale. The request was based on the idea that the review should not proceed following the Court of Appeal's ruling last month.
Environmental assessment may be critical
Much of Hofstra's argument against transferring the lease focused on the idea that Nassau County officials signed the agreement with Sands behind the scenes. Citizens are not allowed to comment on this matter.
The Hempstead meeting on Jan. 18 clearly took a different approach and showed that casino stakeholders did not want to provide additional fodder for opponents.
Environmental assessments are critical for any new large game project. In the case of Nassau County, the City of Hempstead recently announced that it will lead the State Environmental Quality Review Act process for the casino project.
Hempstead believes the lease transfer to Sands is valid and has documentation to support that claim, perhaps indicating the city has the legal authority to conduct the environmental study. City officials deny suggestions that the lease transfer was intentionally opaque or intentionally hidden from residents.
Time is ticking at Long Island Casino
Two interrelated factors could be important in Sands' efforts to secure one of the state's three casino licenses. It will take years for the New York Supreme Court to hear the environmental case, and regulators there could grant the three casino licenses later this year.
Some industry observers consider the timeline ambitious. However, if proven correct, this could cause problems for Sands and Nassau counties, as New York regulators may not be enthusiastic about the idea of granting licenses to operators while litigation in state courts is pending. Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, a longtime supporter of the casino plan, said delays could be costly.
"Postponement is not an option as the risks are high and could cost billions of dollars in construction and thousands of jobs," he said in a statement to Newsday.
Read also:
- Football 101: What is relegation in football?
- Las Vegas cyclist suspected of being hit and killed by drunk bus driver
- William Hill worker suspected of stealing more than $70,000 through kiosk system
- ESPN Bet appears to be bringing more women into sports betting
Source: www.casino.org
