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Civilian infrastructure restrictions lifted in House Readiness mark
WASHINGTON, D.C.—Congresswoman Madeleine Z. Bordallo, ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee’s Readiness Subcommittee, recently secured language in the Readiness mark of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017 to further lift restrictions on the development of civilian infrastructure related to the realignment of Marines from Okinawa to Guam.
Bordallo’s provision authorizes the use of funds for infrastructure projects that were identified in the Economic Adjustment Committee report issued in October 2015. Projects include the construction of a cultural repository, public health lab, and further upgrades to Guam’s water and wastewater system.
The provision builds on progress made last year when Bordallo secured a provision in the FY16 NDAA that lifted the restrictions on funding for civilian water and wastewater projects on Guam. Funding for the cultural repository and public health lab was already secured by Congresswoman Bordallo in previous years’ appropriations bills. The NDAA will be considered by the full House Armed Services Committee on Wednesday, April 27, 2016.
“This year’s NDAA includes a provision I introduced to further lift restrictions on funding for civilian infrastructure projects on Guam. These projects are critical to supporting the realignment of Marines to Guam and mitigate impacts to our local community noted in the supplemental environmental impact statement. Last October, the Economic Adjustment Committee released a report on what projects should move forward, and this year’s defense bill would allow us to move forward with these projects, including the construction of a cultural repository for artifacts recovered during military construction and improvements to our public health lab. This provision builds on the progress I made last year in lifting restrictions on the obligation and expenditure of funding to improve our water and wastewater system. I will work with my colleagues to ensure that this provision is adopted by the full House Armed Services Committee during next week’s full committee markup as well as on the floor when the NDAA is considered by the full House of Representatives.”
