Guam buildup decision to be released Sept. 20 - Navy News | News from Afghanistan & Iraq - Navy Times

Guam buildup decision to be released Sept. 20

The Defense Department had planned to release its Record of Decision on Friday, but the document that would signal the start of the military buildup won’t become public until Sept. 20.

The delay will allow the military to take more time to consider and include comments from the community, the Joint Guam Program Office announced.

The massive document will solidify many plans for the coming military buildup, which would transform Guam in the coming years. More than 14,500 people are expected to move to Guam for the buildup by the end of next year. And the island’s population will continue to climb until 2016, when the buildup numbers peak at 41,194 new residents, the final Environmental Impact Statement states.

The release of Record of Decision is the next step in the NEPA process, following the final Environmental Impact Statement, which was released July 28.

“The delay is necessary to ensure that all comments received on the [final Environmental Impact Statement] are able to be fully considered in the [Record of Decision],” JGPO announced. “In addition, the consultation processes under the National Historic Preservation Act and Endangered Species Act are still ongoing.”

JGPO oversees military buildup readiness in Guam for the Defense Department.

Shortly after the announcement of the Record of Decision’s delay came out, local leaders praised the longer time frame.

Guam Gov. Felix Camacho said in a statement that he appreciated that the military would take the time it needed to “thoroughly review” the comments provided.

Public comments on buildup plans have been collected since November, but many local officials have questioned whether the military is listening.

“This [delay] will help ensure that the federal government has a better understanding of our island’s concerns, and we are hopeful that with this additional time they will find ways to satisfactorily address our concerns,” Camacho wrote.

On Aug. 27, Camacho submitted more than 200 comments on the final Environmental Impact Statement his office collected from local government agencies and members of the public.

Camacho said that number didn’t compare to the more than 10,000 comments submitted on the draft Environmental Impact Statement, but said the Defense Department should weigh all concerns.

Yesterday, JGPO Communications Director Paula Conhain said the military had always expected a large number of comments on both the draft and final Environmental Impact Statements, and the delay announced Thursday was needed to make sure all voices are heard.

The Record of Decision will solidify many of the buildup plans, but it won’t set everything in stone, Conhain said.

“I think one of the things to remember is that this is a very complex [project] with a lot people involved on Guam and other federal agencies, and so there are a lot of details that will be continued to be worked out as we all collaborate together,” Conhain said. “There will still be a lot of work to be done to implement this in a way that works out the best way possible.”

In a news release, Guam Delegate Madeleine Bordallo said she hoped the Defense Department would use the additional 10 days to consider alternatives to an aircraft carrier wharf location, which is planned for Apra Harbor, and a firing range planned to be built near the Pågat area.

The Defense Department has already delayed its decision on where in the harbor to place the wharf, and Conhain said Thursday the Record of Decision won’t include a final location.

In the final impact statement, the Defense Department promised it would study the coral in the harbor more before it places the wharf because some local scientists questioned whether the Navy had underestimated the amount of coral that would be destroyed.

As for the firing range, Conhain cited the facility as an example of how the buildup plan could continue to evolve after the Record of Decision is released.

JGPO has promised that the culturally important Pågat area near the proposed firing range will be available to the public during every weekday, according to Pacific Daily News reports.

Conhain said Thursday that details about how the range and public will co-exist — in terms of what hours the area would be open to civilians — could be determined after the Record of Decision is released.

She made no mention of the Record of Decision moving the firing range away from Pågat, which has been the military’s preferred choice since the draft Environmental Impact Statement was released. Despite passionate protests by local residents, there has been no official indication the range will move.

Guam Sen. Judith Guthertz, the chairwoman of the Legislature’s military buildup committee who is seeking re-election, said: “Let us hope that this isn’t just a ploy to soften us up for the final document.”