Guam – Buildup Committee Chair Senator Judi Guthertz says she has received assurances from Acting Assistant Secretary Roger Natsuhara that the Record of Decision on the military buildup will state in writing that the pace of the buildup will be slowed down.
In a release, Guthertz states that in response to a letter she wrote him, Natsuhara has written back stating, “The Record of Decision (ROD) for the proposed Guam and CNMI Military Relocation will make a firm commitment to implement both of these mitigation measures.”
Natsuhara made it clear that the 2014 deadline to complete the move of Marine forces from Okinawa to Guam would remain in force, but he stated that adjustments will be made to meet the concerns that have been made.
Read Natsuhara’s letter to Guthertz
He wrote, “The FEIS acknowledges that completion of the proposed military alignment by 2014 would cause significant environmental impacts and would adversely affect the already strained [Guam] public utility systems.” Natsuhara also stated that a Civil Military Coordination Council to be created, will make decisions and the “pace and sequencing of construction which will ultimately define the actual peak population growth,” thus keeping island population growth in line with the capacity of Guam utilities.
In response, Senator Guthertz “This is the first time the federal government has committed – in writing – that it will indeed stretch out the buildup. This concession should allow time for better planning and implementation of necessary infrastructure,” said Guthertz. She called it “great news.”
