The TIGER grant is part of the economic stimulus program launched in the wake of the global economic meltdown of 2008.
The award would have been critical to the port’s securing an additional $50 million in loans from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Congresswoman Madeleine Z. Bordallo expressed disappointment with the transportation department’s decision.
“The military buildup cannot succeed if we cannot get federal funding for these clearly identified needs,” she said.
Sen. Judith Guthertz, chairwoman of the military buildup committee, noted that the port has been identified by Joint Guam Program office as a “choke-point” for the buildup.
“The port’s throughput requirement to support the buildup far exceeds what is needed for normal civilian growth,” Guthertz said. “My position is that the federal government must fund the needs for civilian infrastructure that are identified as buildup related. That is only fair and just.”
PAG board chairman Monte Mesa said DOT’s rejection of Guam’s request “was a big blow to our overall expectation of a partnership with the federal government.”
He blamed the rejection on politics.
“We don’t have the political clout,” he said. “All of these states have senators and representatives that are voting members. We are a small population that they don’t care about.”
Among the state projects that received grant funding was a $25 million bike path in Philadelphia.
Mesa said the ball is now in the court of military officials and planners who are under enormous pressure to find alternative funding sources if they really expect the port to play a key role in the buildup.
Guam Federation of Teacher president Matt Rector is convinced the federal denial is due to the failure of Mesa and PAG management to negotiate in good faith with the union.
“We warned them a long time ago,” the former senator said.
“We found multiple unfair labor practices and documented them. We put together a complete timeline and all the evidence to support our position and put that into a comprehensive package,” Rector explained.
He blamed Mesa for “the people of Guam losing $50 million because he refused to obey the law.”
Rector added, “His abject arrogance cost our people a fair chunk of change, and he should be held accountable for that.”
Mesa disagreed.
“That is not even a factor and has no bearing on the decision,” he added.
But Mesa admitted that he really did not know why their grant request was rejected.
