HAGÅTÑA (The Guam Daily Post) — Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero has appealed for support from U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin to avert the likely shutdown of the Guam Environmental Protection Agency.
In a June 13 letter, Leon Guerrero wrote, “I am compelled to reach out regarding the proposed FY 2026 federal budget currently under consideration, which threatens to eliminate all categorical grants to states and territories for crucial environmental protection programs.”
“If implemented, this drastic action would have devastating consequences for Guam, a U.S. territory that lacks the financial and institutional resources afforded to the 50 states,” she added.
In a public hearing Monday at the Guam Congress Building in Hagåtña, GEPA Administrator Michelle Lastimoza confirmed that the recently signed federal spending bill removed all grant funding for GEPA.
Under questioning from Sen. Therese Terlaje, Lastimoza confirmed, “We could not function without those federal grants to support not only salaries, but operations.”
It was apparently the first public acknowledgement of the potential shutdown of GEPA. “That’s huge, and honestly, that’s the first time I’m hearing that,” Terlaje said.
Leon Guerrero said the total loss of the funds would effectively render Guam unable to provide essential environmental protections. “Without this federal support, there are simply no alternative local revenue sources that could fill the critical gap.”
In a statement Tuesday, Krystal Paco San Agustin, the Office of the Governor’s communication director, said, “Ultimately, any lack of federal funding will require local funding. This means that the Guam Legislature will have to appropriate local funds to cover any potential shortfall.”
In her letter to Zeldin, Leon Guerrero laid out the importance of GEPA in “protecting the health of the community and maintaining a sustainable environment for the people of Guam.”
“Protection of the island’s air, land and water is paramount to the agency. For fiscal year 2024, the Guam Environmental Protection Agency’s annual budget was 97% funded by federal moneys totaling $37.1 million out of $38.2 million,” Leon Guerrero wrote.
The governor also pointed out that Guam is a “pivotal strategic asset to the U.S. presence in the western Pacific, having received considerable investments in military infrastructure.”
“We cannot afford to undermine Guam’s environmental programs at this urgent juncture. It risks not only environmental protections, but also our long-term strategic stability,” Leon Guerrero added.
Lastimoza told lawmakers that GEPA has about $26 million left in its account from a five-year $45 million Emerging Contaminants, Small Disadvantaged Communities grant.
The money is meant to fund a new laboratory that provides testing for emerging contaminants in local drinking water.
Lastimoza said they haven’t had any formal discussion about the approval or authorization to redirect any of that money toward salaries, “which could fund GEPA for another three to four years.”
She also confirmed recent cutbacks at the regional U.S. EPA office of as many as 16 employees.
