Joe Quinata, GPT program officer, said the San Francisco-based law firm Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal LLP will represent both agencies.
He said the law office will analyze the final environmental impact study for the Guam military buildup to determine if the defense department has followed the regulations of the National Environmental Protection Act.
Despite months of protests from Guam activists, the final impact study identified Pagat as the site for the proposed firing range, but the military will allow public access to the site when the firing range is not in use.
Quinata chastised the military planners for allegedly not taking into consideration the fact that the location is on the list of “endangered historical sites.” “We’re finding it too difficult to swallow,” he said.
Quinata said the legal counsel will determine if the military had exhausted other alternatives before deciding to choose Pagat for the firing range project.
GPT and NPT will hold a joint press conference at 11 a.m. today in Adelup to explain the legal process for NEPA.
When asked if there is a possibility of a lawsuit, Quinata replied, “We will if it requires us to do so.”
“What we want to do is to get them to do their job and look at the NEPA process,” he added.
NPT has identified Pagat as one of the 11 most endangered historical sites in the United States this year.
Last week, Department of Defense Assistant Secretary of the Navy Jackalyne Pfannenstiel reassured the community that the ancient village site would not be destroyed even if the firing range is built.
Attorneys Nicholas C. Yost and Matthew Adams, of Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal LLP, have arrived on Guam to meet with the community and review the final study once it is posted on the Federal Register on Friday.
Quinata said Yost is familiar with NEPA and assisted with the development of the act.
Yost is a recent recipient of the eleventh annual American Bar Association Award for Distinguished Achievement in Environmental Law and Policy presented on June 25.
