Sands project gets more mixed reviews at county hearing

As much controversy as the proposed Las Vegas Sands project has generated, the three-hour environmental review hearing appeared to yield roughly a 50/50 split among the residents and business leaders who spoke for and against the planned  $4 billion entertainment with a casino in Uniondale.

Last month the Nassau County Legislature voted nearly unanimously to allow the Sands the right to operate and maintain the Nassau Coliseum for 42 years, and it is required to keep the facility open for two years. Sands is looking to claim one of the three remaining licenses for its proposed project. A decision by the State Gaming Commission is not expected until late 2025.

John Durso, the president of the Long Island Federation of Labor, is in support of the casino project and expressed his joy about the SEQRA process finally getting started.

“I am absolutely thrilled about this process because it’ll put to bed all the rumors and misconceptions and tell people exactly what the facts are,” he said.

However, other residents represented specific environmental issues they fear from this project.

Adrienne Esposito, the executive director of Citizens Campaign for the Environment, outlined her major environmental concerns.

Esposito noted aquifer use and water consumption, solid waste management, and energy use, as concerns that she said would have major impacts on Long Island. Those points and more are highlighted in a 10-page letter the Citizens Campaign for the Environment submitted to the Legislature for review.

“We want to hear about the environment, we want to talk about the environment, so (we’re) happy to help,” she said.

The purpose of the Monday hearing at the  County Legislature was to gather public feedback on the draft environmental impact statement that Las Vegas Sands has filed as the first step of the required State Environmental Quality Review Act, or SEQRA, process.

The SEQRA process is a legal requirement for certain development projects. It involves a lead agent — in this case, the Legislature — to analyze the environmental impact of the project. Scoping is step five out of a dozen steps and it involves a hearing offering the public an opportunity to raise specific questions and concerns about the effects of the proposed project on the local environment.

Sands submitted a draft environmental impact statement before the scoping hearing for review by the Legislature and by the public prior to their comments, outlining their projected environmental impact of the resort and casino they proposed to build on the Nassau Coliseum property, and the statement can be viewed on the Nassau County website.

Karen Riordan, a member of the Say No to the Casino Civic Association, also expressed her displeasure for the project as a whole and cited the need for the SEQRA review much earlier in the process.

“This SEQRA process should have been completed prior to the county entering into any lease agreement with Las Vegas Sands, including the one you signed a few weeks ago, which gives site control (of) the Coliseum to Sands for 42 years,” she said

The public has until Sept. 19 to submit written commentary. For those who want share their opinion with the Legislature or to read Sands’ draft environmental impact statement can go to NassauCountyNY.gov for more information.

Have an opinion on the proposed Sands project? Send letter to jbessen@liherald.com.