You not only read the DEIS, but you lobbed back thousands of suggestions and criticisms, which have shaped the public discourse on the buildup ever since. Winning any sincere concessions from the proponents and managers of the buildup has been another matter.
We can count our victories largely in delays, a sure sign of bureaucratic fear if not acceptance of our points. The Apra Harbor nuclear carrier wharf is on hold for further coral studies and — surprise — the alternative site we proposed, subsequently rejected by the military, has been endorsed by several federal environmental agencies.
Someone at the top took a look at the numbers and timetable projected for the buildup and instead of stubbornly saying, “of course we can do it,” decided that the timeframe had to be stretched over a longer period. That was another idea borrowed from my office and our citizens.
We have to dig pretty hard for such victories however, since for all the talk, we’ve got little to show for it so far, outside of federal money funneled through DoD to revitalize our port, which would have been unavoidable to allow the buildup to proceed. Does Washington get it? Recently, Assistant Secretary of the Navy Pfannenstiel proposed to swap DoD land for use of the Route 15, Pagat area for a firing range. Somehow this would also include 24-hour access to the village site. I believe Secretary Pfannenstiel has the best of intentions, but she is being advised by the boots-on-the-ground military folks who have been running this process locally. How many times have we told them that we are not planning to swap for land that they took for themselves in the first place? How many times have we told them that eminent domain land-taking for the buildup is unacceptable, only to then be told first that this isn’t on the table and then, by another more candid official, that it is?
Once again, put the range and other buildup projects on DoD land and certainly not at the Route 15, Pagat area!
Despite its lavish public affairs/public relations staffing, the military buildup apparatus has been best known for not providing information or doling it out in very small portions. Recently, after nearly a year of trying did we find out that the proposed grenade range in the Pagat area will create noise pollution that will make the Nelson home there unlivable by military standards. It also sounds like things will be pretty bad for 49 other nearby residences, unless the owners enjoy a background of gunfire and explosions.
So why did we never hear about this? Well, it seems nobody connected with the buildup ever even discussed this with the Nelsons or anyone else in the affected area.
In the old days, some people on the mainland specialized in buying up large tracts of land for factories and other industrial sites. To keep the price down, they avoided telling landowners their real purpose until the deal was done.
So if you’re one of the many landowners who called my office asking about visitors and printed surveys from JGPO and other agencies looking into the welfare of local lizards, plants and bugs, now you know what was going on. Our concern, first and foremost, continues to be the people of Guam and we expect it to be shared by the managers of the buildup.
SEN. JUDITH P. GUTHERTZ
Chairwoman
Guam Legislative Committee
on the Military Buildup
and Homeland Security
