Back before the Record of Decision, the Draft EIS and the EIS were issued, some kind party dropped off a copy of an early draft version of the master plan at my office. It turned out to be helpful in giving us a few clues about what was to come, but as far as we could see, didn’t reveal any top secrets.
You wouldn’t have known that from the initial leadership of the Joint Guam Program Office. JGPO was charged with “managing” the buildup, or you might say, “selling it” to the local population. It was a sort of tough sell though, since JGPO did its level best to keep any plans under wraps, particularly shielding them from legislators and reporters. Eventually, it came out that JGPO had sought comments on the plan from selected government employees, but only after they signed an agreement — violation punishable by prison — not to reveal the contents to Guam’s leadership, residents or the media.
We’re a long way down the road from those days. The people of Guam know a lot more about the buildup than they did in 2008, and the process that led to the Record of Decision both educated us and prompted changes to the buildup itself reflecting local concerns. Meanwhile however, that “draft” master plan never became a “final” master plan, though the U.S. Congress has demanded by law that it be presented to them.
So where’s the plan? Ever since I met Assistant Secretary of the Navy Jackalyne Pfannenstiel, I’ve presented her with that and a lot of other questions. This week, in a letter to me, she finally outlined what’s keeping the master plan a “draft,” giving all of us on Guam a lot to think about regarding the buildup.
According to the Assistant Secretary, first, the current U.S. Congress must come up with the funding for the Guam buildup, and that’s looking increasingly problematic. Many, particularly the new “Tea Party” advocates, are concerned about how much the buildup is expected to cost and some, such as Texas Sen. Tom Coburn, are taking an isolationist position that overseas U.S. military forces should be brought home — including those stationed or to be stationed on Guam.
Second, Secretary Pfannenstiel confirmed that the 2014 buildup construction completion date won’t be met and, third, that the Navy’s commitment to use less Guam land than before the buildup will require “adjustments” to land use plans.
So one mystery is cleared up. There is no “final” Guam buildup master plan. Only a draft has been submitted to the General Accounting Office to meet legal requirements. It’s definitely a work in progress, subject to change. More importantly, Secretary Pfannenstiel has offered to discuss the draft of the plan which is reflected in the Record of Decision with me. Although she cautioned “it may not reflect the current state of play and potential future adjustments,” this will lay out where facilities and infrastructure for the buildup will be. It probably won’t tell us everything we would like to know, but it’s better than flying blind as in the past.
Thank you Secretary Pfannenstiel for the offer! By involving the people of Guam in a review of the master plan at this time, useful input can be provided to the Department of Defense that will reduce potential conflict down the road.
Let the discussions begin. ASAP!
SEN. JUDITH P. GUTHERTZ
31st Guam Legislature
