PNC :: Vice Speaker Calls For Approval of Special Election On Buildup

PNC :: Vice Speaker Calls For Approval of Special Election On Buildup

Sunday, 06 December 2009

Guam - Vice Speaker B.J. Cruz has issued a report that calls for passage of his Bill No. 66 which calls for a special election on the military buildup.

The bill had a public hearing on July 16.

It would require a special election to determine whether residents support the military buildup and the leasing of lands administered by the Ancestral Lands Commission and the Chamorro Land Trust to accommodate the military expansion.

Since the Department of the Navy's release of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement Last month, Vice Speaker Cruz feels the public is now better informed to vote on the issue.

Having the public vote on the buildup is of even greater importance now as the DEIS reveals greater impacts and fewer returns than residents were led to believe.

Vice Speaker Cruz wrote in his report on Bill No. 66, "The people of Guam must be afforded the opportunity to voice their support or opposition beyond merely commenting on a Draft Environmental Impact Statement ... Many who previously supported the proposed buildup now are rethinking their stance."

Among the reasons the Vice Speaker cites for the need for a vote on the buildup are the population increase beyond initial projections, the drain on natural resources, the amount of land the military proposes to acquire, and the negative impact on Guam's marine environment.

Written by : News Release