EPA wants meeting to discuss Corps’ permit for casino

Friday, May 1, 1998 | 12:57 p.m.

The corps, which has jurisdiction over the nation's waterways, issued a conditional permit in February for the Caesar's Glory of Rome project going up across the Ohio River from Louisville, Ky.

The EPA has asked Col. Harry Spear, commander of the Louisville district office of the corp, for a face-to-face meeting to discuss the project, said Mike McMullen, the EPA Region 5 staffer in Chicago who headed his agency's review of Caesars' permit.

The EPA on April 15 sent the corps a letter outlining what it felt were shortcomings in the corps' review of the $275 million project.

The letter asked the corps to "give further consideration to the issues raised in this letter as well as the appropriateness of the permit issuance." The letter stopped short of saying the permit should be revoked.

McMullen said Thursday that the EPA doesn't believe it has the authority to veto the Caesar's permit.

Spear issued a written statement saying the corps felt it has adequately addressed environmental concerns such as air pollution and loss of habitat for rare animals. He said the corps conducted all of the necessary environmental reviews before granting the permit.

The corps attached 34 conditions to the permit and said it's monitoring both construction at the site and Caesars progress in conducting further environmental studies.

The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service also has raised concerns about the project.

Caesar's office in Corydon did not immediately respond to a request for comment Friday.

The 4,000-passenger floating casino is expected to open for business sometime this fall. The rest of the project, which will include a 500-room hotel, restaurants, shops and other attractions, is expected to be completed by 2000. It will employ about 2,400 people.