Bordallo shared concerns raised by members of the community at recent town hall meetings regarding the draft environmental impact statement.
Gates stated that his department will work with Guam stakeholders to “have transparency and for [the Department of Defense] to take into account the views of the people of Guam.”
Bordallo expressed her continued opposition to the use of eminent domain by the Department of Defense for land acquisition and suggested that the DoD should look into building within their existing footprint on Guam.
Bordallo also expressed concerns regarding the aircraft carrier berthing and the potential damage to coral reefs during the dredging process.
Mullen stated that these “are major moves that we want to get right.”
“I along with [Committee] Chairman [Ike] Skelton and others have repeatedly stated that we need to get this military build-up done right,” Bordallo said.
“The draft environmental impact statement released by the Department of Defense, in its current form, insufficiently addresses concerns raised by our local government, our community, and stakeholders on Guam,” Bordallo said.
“I took this opportunity today to share some of these concerns with Secretary Gates and Admiral Mullen during a House Armed Services Committee hearing,” she added.
