TAUNTON – Members of the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe have withdrawn their request for Category 1 designation from the federal government, effectively stalling plans for the First Light Resort and Casino due to a land dispute, The Taunton Daily Gazette reported on Tuesday.
The tribe is expected to continue to seek other avenues to build the casino, but for now, the process is on hold, according to the newspaper.
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The U.S. Department of the Interior transferred 151 acres within the city of Taunton and 170 acres of land in Mashpee, on Cape Cod, into federal trust to benefit the tribe in September 2015.
In 2016, local residents challenged this designation and won. The tribe has sought to reverse the ruling by U.S. District Court Judge William G. Young. The decision to withdraw has left the plans to build a casino in Taunton in limbo.
Lead plaintiff Michelle Littlefield, who sought the injunction said, “the plaintiffs are pleased to know that the Department of Interior has respected and upheld the law,” Littlefield wrote. “It has been a difficult battle for a group of ordinary citizens to go up against the United States government.”
The Mashpee Wampanoag began work on the casino in the spring of 2016.
Chris Bergenheim is the PBN web editor.
