The U.S. Department of the Interior could reverse its 2020 decision denying the Cayuga Nation’s application to place 114 acres of its land in Union Springs into trust.
For now, the agency and the Cayuga Nation have agreed to extend the pause on a lawsuit filed by the nation that calls the ruling into question.
The federal agency decided to reconsider the matter after the nation provided new information, the nature of which is unclear.
More: Denial of Cayuga land-into-trust application could be overturned
Dept. of Interior and Cayuga Nation both say further environmental review should take place
The new review will take a few months, according to a July 15 report filed by both parties, wrote The Citizen.
Both have agreed to an additional environmental review of the application.
The filing said the Interior Department will likely want to notify the public if any additional review were to take place, as well as request public comment. The agency would then need time to review the input received, according to the court document.
Both sides said they would provide the court with an update by December 1, 2022.
More: Cayuga Nation sues federal government over land-into-trust application
