Lengthy Island On line casino Plan Attracts ‘Environmental Racism’ Critique
Las Vegas Sands’ plan to develop Nassau Coliseum right into a on line casino resort is drawing rebuke from teams and a few native residents that imagine the undertaking could be damaging to the setting.
Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, NY. An opposition group says Sands’ on line casino plan might fire up “environmental racism.” (Picture: Brooklyn Vegan)
This week, detractors and supporters of the Lengthy Island on line casino plan made their voices heard to the Nassau County Legislature. Public remark is important as a result of some opposition teams beforehand accused the county and the gaming firm of working in backroom trend. Final yr, the New York State Supreme Court docket dominated the lease switch settlement on the coliseum between the county and Sands violated state open assembly legal guidelines.
Whereas Nassau County is offering extra avenues for residents to endorse or voice considerations in regards to the on line casino plan, some teams it can’t be ignored that development of an built-in resort might violate New York’s State Environmental High quality Evaluate Act (SEQRA).
The abounding dangerous impacts of this huge on line casino are clearly unmitigable and will have knowledgeable any selections on land management,” mentioned Say No To The On line casino, a civic group that’s lengthy opposed the undertaking, in a press launch. “The SEQRA course of shouldn’t solely have been accomplished previous to coming into into any lease with Las Vegas Sands, but in addition ought to have included the impacts of the $4B NYU Langone proposal at Nassau Group School.”
The group added {that a} latest research famous Lengthy Island’s consuming water provide is being threatened by local weather change and over-pumping — situations that may be worsened by constructing a large-scale on line casino resort.
Environmental Evaluate to Sands Lengthy Island On line casino Plan
The environmental overview, which is at present ongoing, is significant to Sands’ Lengthy Island on line casino ambitions on a number of fronts, not the least of which is that beneath New York legislation, the lease switch on Nassau Coliseum between the county and the gaming firm can’t be finalized till the overview is full.
Expeditious completion of the overview is essential for one more purpose. If that course of isn’t accomplished previous to the state opening the bidding window on the three downstate on line casino permits, it’s potential LVS could be precluded from that course of till the overview is finalized.
Moreover, ought to the overview flip up points and vulnerabilities, the county and Sands might work to handle these issues assuming the method is accomplished in well timed trend.
On the difficulty of time, Nassau County and Sands could have that on their facet as a result of it seems more and more possible that there will probably be no motion on opening the bidding window for the three downstate permits till the center of 2025 on the earliest.
Costs of ‘Environmental Racism’
Local weather and environmental considerations are a part of the territory with new on line casino resort tasks and that’s true no matter location.
It’s equally as widespread for teams opposing these tasks to leverage environmental worries to drive residence their factors. Say No To The On line casino could also be doing that and it’s calling consideration to dangers to minority communities stemming from the on line casino plan.
“We discover it ironic that the identical politicians who declare to need to ‘Save Our Suburbs’ are among the many loudest voices in favor of forcing the nation’s second largest on line casino, and the boundless long-term damaging environmental, financial, and social penalties, into our neighborhood,” in accordance with the group. “The brunt of the influence could be shouldered by the susceptible minority communities that encompass the HUB. Erecting this on line casino could be nothing in need of environmental racism.”
