Minnesota Moves Tribal Land into Trust, Approves Emergency Casino Plan

The US Department of the Interior has moved some 400 acres of Prairie Island Indian Community land in Olmsted County, Minnesota, into trust. The parcel could be used for an emergency temporary casino.

The Move Recognizes the Tribe’s Sovereignty

The parcel is part of the 1,200 acres that the Prairie Island Indians bought from Tower Development for $15.5 million in 2019 and was formerly part of a defunct Elk Run biotechnology campus development. While the tribe has no immediate plans to develop the land, it might use it for an emergency interim gaming facility in case its flagship Treasure Island Casino is damaged by an accident at the nearby nuclear plant.

The decision will effectively move more land into tribal control and allow for a permanent casino to be built there after a six-year forbearance period.

According to Grant Johnson, council president of the tribe, the Prairie Island community is thankful to the Bureau of Indian Affairs for the decision, and to the City of Pine Island and Governor Tim Walz for their support.

Johnson explained that this latest move recognizes the tribe’s sovereignty and allows it to participate in business development, housing, and environmental and cultural protection programs that wouldn’t have been available if the land wasn’t in the tribe’s trust. In conclusion, he called the moving of the land into the Prairie Island Indian Community’s trust “an important step forward in providing a more secure future” for the next generation.

The Site May Be Used Earlier in Case of an Emergency

For context, the latest development follows a letter submitted to Governor Walz on November 8. In this letter, the tribe argued that the land would provide contingency in case a catastrophic event at the Prairie Island Nuclear Generating Plant necessitates the shutdown of Treasure Island Casino.

In case this happens before the end of the six-year forbearance period, the tribe will be allowed to establish an emergency interim property. It expects the emergency site to generate annual gross revenue of approximately $86.1 million and employ 342 people. The project was estimated to cost $24 million.

The letter also included estimates about the cost and revenue of a potential gaming facility in Olmsted County.

In the meantime, Johnson said that the tribe hopes that the Bureau of Indian Affairs will approve the move of additional Elk Run land in trust. The tribe hopes to use this parcel for additional housing and non-gaming purposes.