Sands Long Island Casino Plan Draws ‘Environmental Racism’ Critique

Las Vegas Sands’ plan to develop Nassau Coliseum into a casino hotel is drawing rebuke from groups and some local residents that believe the project would be damaging to the environment.

This week, detractors and supporters of the Long Island casino plan made their voices heard to the Nassau County Legislature. Public comment is essential because some opposition groups previously accused of operating in backroom fashion. Last year, the New York State Supreme Court ruled the lease transfer agreement on the coliseum between the county and Sands .

While Nassau County is providing more avenues for residents to endorse or voice concerns about the casino plan, some groups it cannot be overlooked that construction of an integrated resort could violate New York’s State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA).

The abounding harmful impacts of this massive casino are clearly unmitigable and should have informed any decisions on land control,” said Say No To The Casino, a civic group that’s long opposed the project, in a press release. “The SEQRA process should not only have been completed prior to entering into any lease with Las Vegas Sands, but also should have included the impacts of the $4B NYU Langone proposal at Nassau Community College.”

The organization added that a recent study noted Long Island’s drinking water supply is being threatened by climate change and over-pumping scenarios that would be worsened by building a large-scale casino hotel.

The environmental review, , is vital to Sands’ Long Island casino ambitions on multiple fronts, not the least of which is that under New York law, the lease transfer on Nassau Coliseum between the county and the gaming company cannot be finalized until the review is complete.

Expeditious completion of the review is important for another reason. If that process isn’t completed prior to the state opening the bidding window on the three downstate casino permits, it’s possible LVS would be precluded from that process until the review is finalized.

Additionally, should the review turn up issues and vulnerabilities, the county and Sands could work to address those matters assuming the process is completed in timely fashion.

On the issue of time, Nassau County and Sands may have that on their side because it appears increasingly likely that there will be no action on opening the bidding window for the three downstate permits at the earliest.

Climate and environmental concerns are part of the territory with new casino hotel projects and that’s true regardless of location.

It’s equally as common for groups opposing those projects to leverage environmental worries to drive home their points. Say No To The Casino may be doing that and it’s calling attention to risks to minority communities stemming from the casino plan.

“We find it ironic that the same politicians who claim to want to ‘Save Our Suburbs’ are among the loudest voices in favor of forcing the country’s second largest casino, and the boundless long-term negative environmental, economic, and social consequences, into our community,” according to the group. “The brunt of the impact would be shouldered by the vulnerable minority communities that surround the HUB. Erecting this casino would be nothing short of environmental racism.”