“This has placed me in an impossible position.

“As you know, I requested that DOI issue its proposed finding on the potential Grand River Bands’ acknowledgment by Jor extend the Jdeadline for my decision with respect to the Little River Band’s two-part determination. However, the agency has kept extending its own deadline since 2017. The state-recognized Grand River Bands have been going through the bureaucratic process for federal acknowledgment since 1994. In her letter, Whitmer said she didn’t want to rule on Little River’s proposal and hurt Grand River Bands’ economic potential, should they eventually receive recognition later this year. “Should the Grand River Bands obtain federal recognition, they may wish to open a gaming facility of their own in the same general area as the Little River Band’s proposed project,” Whitmer said in today’s letter, which was provided to MiBiz. In her initial request for an extension of the June 16 deadline, as well as in her letter today outlining her actions, Whitmer called attention to the Grand River Bands of Ottawa Indians, which is seeking federal recognition and whose historical territory included present day areas of Muskegon and Grand Rapids. Words cannot express how thankful we are for our community’s support and the disappointment we feel for them.” “Our tribe has worked hand-in-hand with the Muskegon Community for the past twelve years to gain approval from the Federal Government and State Government. “This project would have created and supported 3,000 jobs for Tribal members and families in the community along with providing funds for healthcare and housing,” Romanelli said in a statement. Larry Romanelli, the elected ogema of the Little River Band, said the tribe’s members were “absolutely devastated” by Whitmer’s lack of approval. “I realize that this non-concurrence is disappointing to the Little River Band and to supporters in the local community, and I am mindful of the significant amount of time and investment that went into this proposal,” Whitmer said in a statement. In a statement, Whitmer said she was “disappointed in the Department’s lack of flexibility in this process.” The DOI previously extended the concurrence deadline by 180 days, requiring Whitmer to rule on the project by June 16.

However, because the site was not located on the Little River Band’s traditional reservation as defined in the federal legislation that recognized the tribe as a sovereign nation in 1994, it required the governor’s concurrence to move forward.

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