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Water Log 19.1

Mayor, Federal Agencies Bet Against Expanded Casino

Destination Broadwater, the President Casino's proposed expansion, would set a dangerous new precedent of manufacturing land in the interest of casino development, according to Biloxi Major A.J. Holloway. Citing concern that the proposal would alter the beach, increase traffic, and fill 54 acres of the Mississippi Sound, Holloway vetoed a recent Biloxi City Council resolution to support it.

Destination Broadwater would add 6,250 new motel rooms, a six-casino mall, entertainment center, convention center, golf course, retail stores and amusement park to Biloxi, boosting annual state casino tax revenue by $154 million. The Environmental Assessment for the resort explains that even with 54 acres of fill in the Mississippi Sound, relocation of marsh, dredging of water bottoms, and excavation of wetlands, an Environmental Impact Statement is unnecessary because the project is "in the public interest."

In a presentation about the proposed project to the Gulf of Mexico Fisheries Management Council, National Marine Fisheries Service Representative Mark Thompson explained that "filling [54] acres of Mississippi Sound and associated subtidal habitat is one of the most significant impacts that can occur to an estuary [because it] results in a permanent loss of habitat." The National Marine Fisheries Service, Fish and Wildlife Service, and Environmental Protection Agency have submitted objections to the project. The Army Corps of Engineers is determining if an Environmental Impact Statement is necessary.
 
 

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