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Legislature to create Guam buildup group
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Posted on Dec 02 2008
The Legislature is forming a group to study the planned military expansion on Guam and to help prepare the Commonwealth for the multibillion-dollar effort.
House Speaker Arnold Palacios said Monday that the “focus group” will consist of three members from each house of the Legislature.
The creation of the group follows the recent adoption of a resolution by the House of Representatives and the Senate. According to the joint resolution, the group will have “a direct dialogue with representatives of the United States Armed Forces to ensure that the Commonwealth is informed of all matters related to the military expansion in the Marianas.”
The programmed military buildup in Guam involves the transfer of some 8,000 Marines and their dependents from Okinawa. The program involves using Tinian—and possibly Pagan and other parts of the CNMI’s northern islands—as a military training site.
On Feb. 22, 2007, Gov. Benigno R. Fitial formed the CNMI’s Military Task Force. A few months later, Fitial appointed retired Lt. General Wallace “Chip” Gregson, who served in the United States Marine Corps for 37 years before retiring in 2005, to serve as his special adviser for military affairs.
In the resolution, the lawmakers indicated that the military task force has been inactive, and that the Legislature must jump in to help prepare the CNMI for the military buildup.
In a recent meeting with the Legislature, the Joint Guam Program Office reported that the U.S. Department of Defense expects to have its draft master plan for the CNMI’s part in the military buildup by this month. Citing experience with the Guam master plan, which he said has gone through about five revisions so far, JGPO director David Bice said the CNMI’s draft master plan, once released, would be subject to many changes depending on public input and other factors.
The draft environmental impact study for the military buildup is expected to be out early spring next year, Bice added.
