Foes of a proposed tribal casino in Cascade Locks, Ore., on Thursday called on President-elect Obama's nominee for Interior Secretary to reject the project.

The watchdog group Friends of the Columbia Gorge, joined by Rep. David Wu, D-Ore., and others, argued that the proposed casino would sully the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area while failing to provide significant economic benefits to the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs.

The casino, which would be across the river from Stevenson, is one of two proposed near the metro area. In Clark County, the Cowlitz tribe is proposing a casino resort near La Center.

Gorge casino opponents said they were encouraged by comments U.S. Sen. Ken Salazar, D-Colorado, made Thursday at his confirmation hearing before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee.

"Sen. Salazar vowed to make sure the nation's treasured landscapes are protected and enhanced," said Friends executive director Kevin Gorman. Salazar promised "to move forward to protect lands of national significance with a new vigor," he said. "We are encouraging him not to approve a casino in a federally protected conservation area."

As a new administration takes over, the Interior Department is close to releasing a final environmental impact statement for the casino, possibly by the end of March.

The Warm Springs have applied to take 25 acres into trust at a Cascade Locks industrial park for a 90,000-square-foot casino. They say the existing casino on their Central Oregon reservation is too remote to generate the revenue they need to sustain tribal programs.

Len Bergstein, the tribe's Portland-based consultant, called the appeal to Salazar an entirely inappropriate end run by opponents around the process established by federal law for approving tribal casinos.

"If someone else tried to short-circuit the process, they'd be hopping mad," he said. "This is a perversion of the process. It's an example of how willing these opponents are to flaunt the law."

Last year the Interior Department's Bureau of Indian Affairs adopted new rules that set a higher bar for approving tribal casinos on sites distant from reservations.

Gorman said BIA officials in the outgoing Bush administration rejected two other off-reservation casinos in the past week based on challenges similar to those his organization has mounted against the Warm Springs project.

"The issues that came up were the commuting distance and the fact that the tribes had sizeable reservations that could accommodate a casino," he said.

The Friends group argues that the 200-mile round trip between the reservation and Cascade Locks would make it impractical for tribal members on the reservation to commute to work at the casino. It also contends that the tribes don't need to build a distant casino because they have suitable sites available on their reservation.

Bergstein said the BIA rejected the two proposals for multiple reasons, including failure to submit complete applications.

Wu, the only member of the Northwest congressional delegation who has taken a stand against the casino, said it is not his intent to hold up Salazar's confirmation. Instead, he said, he wants him to understand how important the gorge is.

"It's a truly unique national treasure," Wu said. "It really deserves the attention of the new Interior secretary."

Salazar's views on off-reservation casinos are not known. But at his confirmation hearing Thursday, he said, "I believe the Interior Department should be a partner with tribal communities to advance sustainable economic development. This is fundamental to true self-determination."

"What I've heard is that he has had a very positive and respectful relationship with tribes in Colorado," Bergstein said. "People think this is an outstanding appointment for Native Americans."