What's coming: Information about the process

For more than three years, promoters of a proposed casino-resort at La Center have tried to portray it as a "done deal." Nothing could be further from the truth.

The proposal would first have to receive numerous approvals from the federal government before any development could proceed. Among the go-aheads the project needs are:

• An acceptable Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS)
• Approval from the Bureau of Indian Affairs to take the land into trust
• An Indian lands designation (initial reservation or restored lands) from the Secretary of the Interior, or approval to game from the Secretary and the Governor of Washington (two-part determination)
• Approval of a management contract by the National Indian Gaming Commission

Developers also need to successfully negotiate a gaming compact with the state of Washington.

There are many points along the way where this proposed project could get derailed. It is nowhere near a done deal.