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DoD releases $309M Japan contribution to build Guam Marine base
WASHINGTON, D.C.—Delegate Madeleine Z. Bordallo (D-GU) announced Friday that the Department of Defense has released $309,000,000 for the first phase of construction of a Marine Corps Base at Finegayan, Guam.
These funds were contributed from the Government of Japan as part of its contributions for the realignment of Marines from Okinawa to Guam.
The projects have already been authorized in previous defense authorization bills but funding was not released because of restrictions put in place by the Senate.
Bordallo worked with her colleagues to remove these restrictions so Government of Japan funds could be used to support the realignment effort. Contracts for these projects have not yet been awarded and the DoD will put out bids through the Multiple Award Construction Contracts contract process.
The funds released will be used for site and grade preparation, electrical, mechanical, and water and wastewater utilities upgrades, and construction of roadways and sidewalks leading to Finegayan. Three sites will also be developed to provide for green waste processing and recycling facilities, along with infiltration ponds and storm water conveyance systems to mitigate environmental impacts of construction.
“The release of these funds continues to underscore the progress that we continue to make with the realignment of Marines from Okinawa to Guam, and it demonstrates our country’s commitment to this critical national and regional security endeavor,” said Bordallo. “These funds will be used for phase one of building the new Marine Corps Base in Finegayan, which include site and utilities improvements in the area as well as site preparation and environmental mitigation. Funding for these projects were contributed by the Government of Japan and previously authorized by Congress; however the DoD could not move forward with releasing these funds until it met the requirements of restrictions imposed by the Senate. I look forward to contracts for these projects being awarded, which will inject millions of dollars in needed capital into our island’s economy.” (PR)
