St. Regis Mohawk Tribe and Empire Resorts Move Closer to Building the Northeast’s First LEED Certified ‘Green’ Casino MONTICELLO, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The St. Regis Mohawk Tribe and Empire Resorts (NASDAQ: NYNY) announced today that the proposed St. Regis Mohawk Casino at Monticello Raceway has taken a first step toward LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Green Building Certification. The group has registered the casino project with the U.S. Green Building Council. The action was the first step towards achieving the construction of the first LEED Certified ‘green’ casino in the Northeast. Documentation demonstrating that the project has successfully met the sustainable design and performance criteria set forth within the LEED Green Building Rating System must be submitted, reviewed, and approved by USGBC before the building is officially certified. LEED is a registered trademark of the U.S. Green Building Council. “We are proud that the LEED certification process is underway and are thrilled by the results of the pre-certification analysis,” said Mohawk Tribal Chief Lorraine White. “This will be the first casino of its type – and one of the first of any type in the nation – to achieve LEED certification. This clearly underscores our commitment to protecting the environment.” “Empire Resorts is excited about starting the process that will earn LEED certification, a prestigious recognition that has been a focal point of Empire Resorts and the St. Regis Mohawk Tribe throughout the planning for the casino,” said Dave Hanlon, CEO of Empire Resorts. “We expect the St. Regis Mohawk Casino to become a model for all future facilities concerned with protecting the environment.” To earn LEED certification, a building project must meet certain prerequisites and performance benchmarks in five key areas of human and environmental health – sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection, and indoor environmental quality.
