PNC :: Legislature Holding Its DEIS Hearings This Week

PNC :: Legislature Holding Its DEIS Hearings This Week

Monday, 25 January 2010

Guam - Talks of the military buildup and the draft environmental impact statement continued Monday as the Guam legislature started the first of its 5 public hearing on the Draft EIS on the military buildup. The legislature will hold these public hearings everyday for the rest of this week.

So far the JGPO and the governor's office have both held public hearings on the draft environmental impact statement of the military buildup. Today the legislature begins it's series of public hearings on the DEIS. So what's the difference with these public hearings? One of it's co-organizers Senator Judi Guthertz explains that unlike previous public hearings the legislature will help people submit their comments in the proper format or in the format that the military will accept.

During the governor's workshops that were facilitated by Matrix Design Group participants were told that their comments would have to be written and submitted in the proper format or else the military would simply disregard them. In order to include comments as a part of their EIS the military is requiring that they reference specific areas of the DEIS document.

Senator Respicio says this is why he hopes that the public will come out in full force as they did at the previous hearings. Respicio hopes their hearings will generate comments that can and will be used as part of the Final EIS.

After the legislature finishes it's series of public hearings on the DEIS Speaker Judi Wonpat says that they plan to take the information and testimonies they gather directly to Washington D.C.. the speaker says they hope that the U.S. congress will be able to help answer the many questions the people of Guam have regarding the military buildup.

The Speaker says they are looking at going to Washington on the second week of February between the seventh on the tenth. While she has invited all of her colleagues the Speaker says that so far Vice-Speaker Cruz, Senator Respicio, Senator Guthertz, Senator Pangelinan, and Senator Frank Blas Jr have all expressed interest in joining the delegation.

Written by : Clynt Ridgell