MOSES LAKE - The Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation are requesting the federal government take land into trust to pave the way for a truck stop project.

The Colvilles have long been searching for land to build a truck stop in or near Moses Lake, according to Michael Finley, chairman of the Colville Tribes' business council.

"Any area within our traditional territories where we can expand our interest on an economic front, we're interested in doing that," he said. "We initially tried to get a piece of property from the Bureau of Reclamation that was already off the tax rolls so it wouldn't be an issue, but it didn't happen and that's why we bought this piece of property."

The Colville Tribes paid more than $1 million last year for seven acres of undeveloped Moses Lake property located just south of Interstate 90 on Wanapum Drive. They plan to build the truck stop on the larger of the two parcels, 6 acres zoned as general commercial and bounded by Wanapum and Wapato drives.

In September, the Colvilles applied with the U.S. federal government to have the land held in trust, meaning it would no longer be subject to state or local taxation or regulation. They have since completed most of the surveys and planning requirements for the trust designation prior to moving ahead with the project, Finley said.

Greg Argil is Northwest regional chief of the Land Titles and Records Division of the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), the agency that is processing the Colvilles Tribes' land trust application.

Argil said this week the only item he's still waiting on is an environmental impact statement from the Colvilles showing no significant findings. Once this is received the BIA could issue a decision by June or July, barring any appeals or lawsuits.

In February the BIA sent a letter asking for comments and concerns from government entities that could be affected by a decision to bring the Colvilles land into trust.

The Moses Lake City Council unanimously voted to return a statement strongly opposing the Colvilles' plan, a position backed up by the Moses Lake Planning Commission. Their letter argued that placing the land into trust would exclude Moses Lake from having a say in how the Colvilles deal with zoning, building or services. The letter also takes issue with the possibility of developing a large truck stop on land bounded by currently platted and, in some cases, developed and occupied residential properties.

Finley says he doesn't understand why the city is resisting the project.

"It's interesting to us because we actually did our homework on this piece and it's zoned for what we want to do with it," he said. "I guess I'm confused that, if they didn't want it for that use, then why was it zoned for it?"

Finley called the Colville Tribes "the largest economy in North Central Washington State" and said their latest project would benefit more than just the tribe itself.

He pointed to examples of partnerships between off-reservation tribal projects and the communities that surround them, such as the Kalispel Tribe's Northern Quest Casino and the Spokane Tribe's SpokoFuel - both located in Airway Heights.

"I think we can advance on those and use them as a positive model to show it's not necessarily a bad thing when an Indian tribe wants to come in and do business in the community," he said. "Right now we only know what we've seen in the media and the city only knows what they've seen in our fee to trust application. We're willing to sit down with (the city) and we want to sit down with them to help them better understand those positive aspects that will come from having a business like this in Moses Lake."

When asked what those benefits could be, Finley said the Colville Tribes are coming into the area with an open mind. If the truck stop goes well, he said they might begin considering how to work with Moses Lake on a future industrial project.

"I realize we only have seven acres, but if this turns into a good relationship, who knows where we go from here?" he said. "The sky's the limit."