By Gerardo R. Partido
Variety News Staff

GOVERNOR Felix P. Camacho yesterday testified before Congress asking for more funding from the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Office of Insular Affairs to help Guam improve its aging infrastructure, install an additional port gantry crane, strengthen financial management systems, eradicate invasive species, and protect ocean resources.
According to the governor’s office, the hearing was held before the House Committee on Natural Resources Sub-Committee on Insular Affairs.
“This budget proposal by the Bush administration is important to Guam so we can continue to improve our infrastructure and finances, protect our natural resources, and diversify our economy,” the governor said in his testimony.
According to Camacho, Guam stands to benefit from the more than $12 million in technical assistance programs from the proposed budget. The fiscal year 2008 DOI budget includes a $2 million appropriation to install an additional gantry crane at the Port Authority of Guam.
The governor later met with Secretary of the Navy Donald Winter at the Pentagon. The 30-minute talk focused on the current realignment of U.S. forces in the Western Pacific.
“I came here to work with our Pentagon partners on the growth ahead for Guam which will mean better opportunities for our people. Secretary Winter and the Pentagon recognize Guam’s strategic importance and have committed to work closely with us to ensure the growth benefits everyone on our island,” the governor said.
The governor also met with Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Navy B.J. Penn, Deputy Undersecretary of Defense for Asia-Pacific Affairs Richard Lawless and Joint Guam Program Office Director David Bice.
The meeting focused on the latest information regarding the Japanese government’s efforts in connection with the move of the III Marine Expeditionary Force out of Okinawa.
The governor also met with U.S. Department of Defense Office of Economic Adjustment director Patrick O’Brien, who committed the full resources of his agency to assist the government of Guam in the planning process for the movement of Marines from Okinawa to Guam.
Guam has been awarded a $218,000 grant to develop Phase I of the Guam Master Plan.
On Monday, Camacho and the nation’s governors met with President George W. Bush at the White House to discuss the war in Iraq and other issues important to the states and territories.
Members of the Bush Cabinet also addressed the nation’s governors during the third day of the National Governors Association Winter Meetings. U.S. Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael Leavitt and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Peter Pace discussed the Bush administration’s activities.