The state liquor authority has already denied the nation's requests for licenses, and now are threatening the nation with taking away third-party catering licenses...unless the resort begins strictly prohibiting guests from bringing in their own alcohol. At the last hearing of the liquor authority regarding licenses for the resort..the authority denied all requests stating that they were not going to grant them while the land dispute was going on.

"If the state is using the catering permits as leverage for disputes with the nation...it is really leveraging innocent third-parties who have no stake in the dispute with the nation," said Peter D. Carmen, general counsel for the Oneida Nation "We will not allow the state to do that to these parties. It's not fair. It's inappropriate. We can handle our disputes with the state of new york and we want to resolve them. But we will not allow the state to use third parties as pawns in these disputes. We don't do that. we don't expect the state to do it."

Now, while events well into the new year have already been approved for their catering permits, Carmen went on to say that if the state were to deny future permits...many events that area businesses and individuals profit from...would go elsewhere...scaring tourists away from what he called the only major tourist attraction in central New York.

Carmen said the nation will continue to work closely with the state liquor authority to resolve this issue, submitting a legal paper to the authority explaining their position on Monday.