Placing land in federal trust exempts it from state and local taxes and local land use regulations and gives them the right to have a gaming component on the property. The application includes a resolution to make the land the tribe's reservation and an environmental assessment that considers the effect of a 41,800-sf casino on the property.

The BIA deputy regional director of Trust Services Gerald Ben tells GlobeSt.com that, while an approved application doesn't necessarily mean a casino would definitely result, "it would be very hard not to imagine them doing it."

The application will be made public when the application is deemed complete. If and when it is approved, which could be a lengthy process, the next step would be for the tribe to negotiate a state compact.

This is the second time around the process for the Cowlitz Tribe, which keeps its headquarters in Longview, WA, about 40 miles north of the Oregon-Washington border. It withdrew its initial application, filed in March 2002, after the BIA's central office informed them that the application would not be accepted if the application didn't make clear that a casino was an option and include an environmental assessment.

Tribal councilman David Barnett, son of tribe chairman John Barnett, is leading the effort to place the land in federal trust. The younger Barnett was not available for comment Thursday. The company hired to handle the environmental assessment was Portland-based K&S Environmental.

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