'Warning for the World': Five Pacific Islands Officially Lost to Rising Seas

The event is the first official confirmation of what the future could be under climate change, researchers say

Published on May 10, 2016 by Commondreams.org

Rates of sea level rise in the Solomons are almost three times higher than the global average.
(Photo: ILO in Asia and the Pacific/flickr/cc)

By Nadia Prupis,

Five Pacific Islands have been swallowed by rising seas and coastal erosion, in what Australian researchers say is the first confirmation of what climate change will bring.

The submerged region, which was part of the Solomon Islands archipelago and was above water as recently as 2014, was not inhabited by humans.

However, a further six islands are also experiencing "severe shoreline recession," which is forcing the populations in those settlements—some of which have existed since at least 1935—to flee, according to a study published last week in Environmental Research Letters.

Researchers used aerial and satellite images dating back to 1947 to track coastal erosion across 33 islands. At least 11 islands across the northern region of the archipelago "have either totally disappeared over recent decades or are currently experiencing severe erosion," the study found.

"This is the first scientific evidence...that confirms the numerous anecdotal accounts from across the Pacific of the dramatic impacts of climate change on coastlines and people," the researchers wrote at Scientific American on Monday. Lead author Dr. Simon Albert, a senior research fellow at the University of Queensland, told Agence France-Presse that rates of sea level rise in the Solomons are almost three times higher than the global average.

The five that sank ranged in size from one to five hectares (roughly two to 12 acres) and supported "dense tropical vegetation that was at least 300 years old," the researchers wrote for Scientific American, calling the event "a warning for the world."

Rates of sea level rise were substantially greater in areas exposed to high wave energy, the researchers found, "indicating a synergistic interaction between sea-level rise and waves."

That means islands exposed to higher wave energy in addition to sea level rise face faster and more widespread loss than sheltered islands.

They wrote: These higher rates are in line with what we can expect across much of the Pacific in the second half of this century as a result of human-induced sea-level rise. Many areas will experience long-term rates of sea-level rise similar to that already experienced in Solomon Islands in all but the very lowest-emission scenarios.

Understanding the factors that put certain regions at greater risk for coastal erosion is vital to help frontline communities adapt, the study concluded.

The families that have already been forced to relocate did so using their own limited resources and received little to no assistance from their government or international climate funds, the researchers noted. The exodus had the additional impact of fragmenting established communities of hundreds of people.

Melchior Mataki, who chairs the Solomon Islands' Natural Disaster Council, told the researchers, "This ultimately calls for support from development partners and international financial mechanisms such as the Green Climate Fund. This support should include nationally driven scientific studies to inform adaptation planning to address the impacts of climate change in Solomon Islands."

The Solomon Islands were among the 175 nations that signed the Paris climate agreement in New York last month.

Marines Plan Guam Exercise in January

Published by Pacific Daily News on December 23, 2015

Marines from Okinawa plan to conduct urban environment training in Guam next month, which could create noise in some villages. The Marine Corps officer in charge of the operation, Col. Daniel H. Wilson, on Tuesday issued the following open letter to Guam in connection with the training:

By now you may have heard that a small force of Marines and sailors are scheduled to conduct a training exercise in Guam next month. As the Officer in Charge of this exercise, I would like to explain to you what we have in mind and why your community is so important to us.

The 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) is the fighting force for the Okinawa-based Bonhomme Richard Expeditionary Strike Group, set to deploy in the Asia-Pacific region. Typically, a MEU’s mission is to serve as a sea-based quick-reaction force, ready to respond to any crisis that occurs in its area of operations.

Many of the Marines you may see in the coming few weeks have served all over the world but we also have new Marines preparing to make their first deployment. Their lives and the success of our future missions depend on the training we accomplish during our work-ups in your community.

Months prior to deploying, an MEU begins training intensively for a multitude of separate and distinct missions which it must be ready to execute at any time. We conduct much of that training at our home bases in Okinawa and aboard Navy ships at sea; however, we cannot adequately prepare to operate in an unfamiliar environment without moving out of our comfort zone and into areas like yours with which we are not familiar.

Marines are trained to fight in every clime and place. For desert training, we go to Twentynine Palms, California. For cold-weather and mountain-warfare training, we head to Bridgeport, California, or Norway. For jungle-warfare training, we’ve sent Marines to Panama, the Philippines, Thailand, and Okinawa.

Training in an urban environment, though, is the most challenging situation we are likely to face. Maneuvering in a heavily congested area, identifying threats lurking in windows and around street corners, trying to tell whether a car speeding toward a vehicle checkpoint is a real threat or a simple mistake, are just a few examples of the challenges Marines face in an urban setting.

Our aim in Guam is to expose our Marines to realistic scenarios and stresses posed by operating in an actual urban environment, thereby increasing their proficiency in built up areas. Operating in Guam provides us with conditions we are not able to replicate aboard our home base.

The exercise runs from January 6 to 16. While most of the activity will take place aboard Navy installations, residents of the island could see Marines periodically throughout the exercise and are likely to notice increased military activities on the 13th and 15th of January.

We have coordinated our plans through the appropriate territorial agencies and village officials including the Guam Police Department, Guam Fire Department, the Office of Homeland Security, and Village Mayors to ensure the safety of residents and to minimize any impact on the community.

We understand that our presence may briefly raise the noise level in some villages and we greatly appreciate your patience and understanding. We hope you will bear with us as we complete this critical training exercise. Finally, we hope that what you observe will make you as proud as we are to serve on your behalf.

F-15s to train in Guam

WEDNESDAY, 05 JANUARY 2011 01:45 BY THERESE HART | VARIETY NEWS STAFF

* Okinawa training function moved to Guam

Photo shows an Air Force F-15 flying a patrol mission. Japanese media has reported that some training functions of F-15 fighters stationed at Kadena Air Base in Okinawa will be moved to Guam. (U.S. Air Force photo)

A recent agreement between Japan and the United States would move some training functions of F-15 fighters stationed at Kadena Air Base in Okinawa to Guam, according to a report from the Yomiuri Shimbun.

The airbase is home to two F-15 squadrons of the U.S. Air Force’s 18th Wing. The move is expected to happen this year, according to Japanese government sources cited by the report.

If final approval is granted, it will be the first time exercises of U.S. forces stationed in Okinawa Prefecture have been moved out of that country.

U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Defense Minister Toshimi Kitazawa are expected to finalize the agreement on Jan. 13 during a two-day visit by Gates to Japan.

The agreement is seen as a type of offering to Okinawa as a reduction of the “burden borne by the prefecture in hosting U.S. bases, and hopes to use it as a beachhead to get the prefecture's cooperation on the stalled plan to relocate the U.S. Marine Corps' Futenma Air Station within the prefecture,” the sources said.

The U.S. has kept two fighter squadrons -- each currently comprised of 24 F-15s -- permanently stationed at the Kadena base, which is one of the United States' largest strategic military locations outside the U.S. mainland.

Local residents in Okinawa have often complained of the noise pollution produced by the base's aircraft.

The Japanese government has been trying to have the United States move the training functions of as much as one full F-15 squadron to Guam.

The sources said fuel and other costs associated with the transfer of exercises will be financed by the exercise-relocation portion of the so-called “sympathy budget,” which are funds paid by Japan to cover the costs of having U.S. forces stationed in this nation.

The special supplemental accord to the Japan-U.S. Status of Forces Agreement that is the legal basis for the sympathy budget will expire at the end of March, so the relocation costs will be incorporated in a new agreement that will come into effect from fiscal 2011, which starts on April 1, according to the Yomiuri Shimbun.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara are expected to confirm the basic agreement on the transfer during a five-day visit to the United States by Maehara, scheduled to begin Thursday, according to the sources.

Maehara plans to sign a draft accord with U.S. Ambassador to Japan John Roos shortly.

The government hopes the accord will gain Diet approval by the end of March, during the ordinary Diet session that begins this month.

Guam calls for transfer of U.S. Marines from Okinawa to be delayed

Guam calls for transfer of U.S. Marines from Okinawa to be delayed

Feb 17 02:28 AM US/Eastern

WASHINGTON, Feb. 17 (AP) - (Kyodo) — The congresswoman who represents Guam in the U.S. House of Representatives said Tuesday that the 2014 deadline for completing the planned transfer of about 8,000 U.S. Marines from Okinawa to the Pacific island should be delayed so that the island can better prepare for the upcoming surge in population.

"One of the most troubling aspects of the draft environmental impact statement (for the military buildup on Guam) is that all assumptions are based on projects being completed by 2014," Democrat Madeleine Bordallo said in an address to Guam's legislature. The text of her speech was made available on her website.

"This flawed assumption has drawn consequences and conclusions that are not sustainable and not supported by anyone," Bordallo said.

In addition to relocating about 8,600 Marines and 9,000 family members from the southernmost Japanese prefecture, the buildup plan for the island includes the establishment of an Army Missile Defense Task Force and the construction of a wharf for use by the U.S. Navy's nuclear-powered aircraft carriers.

According to a recent report by Stars and Stripes, a Pentagon- authorized newspaper for U.S. military personnel overseas, the buildup calls for "adding nearly 80,000 people to Guam's 178,000 population during the height of construction in 2014." The 80,000 is believed to include a large number of temporary workers who will come to the island to engage in construction work necessary for the buildup.

Bordallo said among concerns associated with the buildup is "the lack of a comprehensive plan for the housing of guest workers and providing for their health care needs in a manner that does not further overwhelm our local infrastructure and health care system."

"We cannot allow guest worker housing off-base to cause the faucets to run dry or power outages in our homes," she said, adding she will not support "appropriations and authorizations that will result in a construction pace that brings 80,000 people to Guam in 2014."

Bordallo's call for the buildup plan to be delayed follows a similar request by Guam Gov. Felix Camacho to the U.S. military last month.

The relocation of the Marines from Okinawa to Guam is linked to the planned relocation of the U.S. Marine Corps' Futemma Air Station within Okinawa, which is also eyed in the same time frame.

Comments on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement/Overseas Environmental Impact Statement EIS/OE

Comments on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement/Overseas Environmental Impact Statement EIS/OE

Joint Guam Program Office (JGPO)
C/O NAVFAC Pacific
258 Makalapa Drive, Suite 100
Pearl Harbor, Hawaii 96860-3134
Attention: GPMO

Reference: Comments on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement/Overseas Environmental Impact Statement (EIS/OEIS), Guam and CNMI Military Relocation:

Relocating Marines from Okinawa, Visiting Aircraft Carrier Berthing, and Army Air and Missile Defense Task Force

Hafa Adai! Thank you for the opportunity to provide comments on the referenced Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS). The military buildup proposed for the island of Guahan unprecedented in sheer size and magnitude that it will undoubtedly significantly impact and change the culture, environment, quality of life, and future of the island. Guahan's ability to effectively integrate the military expansion will determine the success of the island's growth and development for decades to come.

This cover letter summarizes our technical and policy concerns about the DEIS, and are detailed in the attached comment spreadsheets prepared by the staff and technical experts of the Government of Guahan instrumentalities. We are submitting these comments as the "affected official local government" in accordance with the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEP A). Please enter this letter and all the attachments submitted with it into the comment record.

Our purpose in submitting detailed comments is to ensure that the Department of Defense (DOD) has a full understanding of Guahan's concerns about the proposed military buildup and the DEIS. We believe that the DEIS is lacking in a number of areas.

Click here to view this posting in it's entirety. (pdf format - file size 44mb)
http://guamgovernor.net/GOV%20FINAL%20COMPILATION.pdf

Sen. Webb open to options on Okinawa base dispute

Sen. Webb open to options on Okinawa base dispute

By Malcolm Foster, The Associated Press
Pacific edition, Wednesday, February 17, 2010

TOKYO — A member of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee said Monday he's open to hearing options on how to resolve a dispute over the relocation of a controversial U.S. Marine base on the Japanese island of Okinawa.

Starting a weeklong tour in Japan and Guam, Sen. Jim Webb also called Toyota's recent recall problems — the subject of two congressional hearings next week — a "business issue" that wouldn't affect political ties between Japan and the United States.

U.S.-Japan relations have soured after the new Tokyo government put on hold a plan to move Futenma Marine airfield on the southern island of Okinawa — part of a broader 2006 agreement with Washington to reorganize the 47,000 U.S. troops in Japan — because of local opposition.

Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama, who swept into power after last August's elections, has said he will make a decision on Futenma by May.

Webb, who has made numerous visits to Okinawa over the last 40 years, first as a Marine during the Vietnam War and later as a U.S. defense planner and government official, said the main purpose of his visit was to listen to the views of the Japanese government and people of Okinawa, where many resent the heavy U.S. military presence.

"There could be a number of practical options," Webb said about ways to resolve the Futenma issue. "I don't want to outline those options today because I don't want to cut short the discussions that we're going to have."

Webb, a Democrat who represents Virginia, said a solution needed to be found quickly "on the Futenma issue for the well-being of the citizens in that area."

"I am open to listening to all suggestions from the Japanese government and also the people of Okinawa," he told journalists at a news conference.

Last year, Webb made a high-profile trip to Myanmar to negotiate the release of American John Yettaw, who was arrested and sentenced to seven years in prison after he had sneaked into the home of pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

The Obama administration has insisted the Hatoyama government proceed with the 2006 plan to move Futenma to Nago, a city in a less crowded, northern part of Okinawa that recently elected an anti-base mayor.

Webb said he did not recommend moving Futema's facilities outside of Okinawa, as many local residents want, but he also suggested he didn't necessarily support the Obama's administration's position.

"We're not a parliamentary system, so I am not obligated to support the administration in a specific way," he said.

Webb, who is also chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations subcommittee on East Asia, met with Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada later Monday.

Making his first trip to Japan since Hatoyama came to office in September, Webb said he didn't believe that U.S.-Japan ties had been weakened by the change in government in Tokyo, and stressed that Japan was Washington's most important ally in the region.

He also defended the U.S. military presence in Japan and the importance of having Marines based in Okinawa.

"I would ask you to consider what the stability of this region would look like if suddenly (the U.S.) were to withdraw its military from its bases in Japan, what temptations might follow that," he said.

Webb briefly touched on Japanese family law that gives only one parent — nearly always the mother — custody of children in cases of divorce. That has left many divorced American fathers from seeing their children in Japan.

The issue has become increasingly important in Washington. Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell last month warned that if Japan doesn't address the problem it risks hurting ties with the U.S.

Webb said he hoped Japan's Ministry of Justice would work to arrange "proper custody arrangements" and that it could "be resolved through harmony between the two governments rather than bringing a big stick."

Relocation of US troops to NMI not done deal

Relocation of US troops to NMI not done deal

Wednesday, February 17, 2010
By Haidee V. Eugenio
Reporter

Kitazawa Japan's Defense Minister Toshimi Kitazawa on Friday downplayed the idea of relocating up to 4,000 U.S. troops from the Marine Corps Air Station Futenma in Okinawa to Tinian, even as Gov. Benigno R. Fitial and the CNMI Military Integration Management Committee said yesterday that the Commonwealth welcomes such relocation consideration “only if such plan is supported and approved by the U.S. federal government and the Department of Defense.”

Tinian is one of the major islands in the U.S. territory of the CNMI.

“We are by no means trying to entice the Japanese government to push for the relocation of a base in the CNMI as this is solely a decision that will be made by the U.S. government. The administration and the MIMC will respect and support any such decisions that are made,” the Fitial administration said in a statement when asked for comment on the Futenma relocation issue.

Press Secretary Angel Demapan said Fitial and the MIMC will be open to any dialogue that the U.S. Department of Defense may want to engage in.

“However, any such dialogue would have to be at the request of the federal government,” he said.

International media quoted Japan's Kitazawa as saying that Futenma's relocation to the CNMI could be considered as a “long-term issue.”

He said, however, the views of the U.S. military on the relocation issue are important and that discussions are expected to take place on whether the necessary deterrence can be maintained in the Asia-Pacific region if all the Marine functions in Okinawa are transferred to Tinian.

Two-thirds of Tinian's land is leased to the U.S. military.

Three Japanese lawmakers who visited Saipan briefly on Feb. 10 told CNMI officials that they are considering the CNMI as one of relocation sites for 2,000 to 4,000 U.S. troops at Futenma.

In interviews with international media, Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirofumi Hirano, who leads a government task force on the matter, also expressed little enthusiasm for the idea of relocating Futenma to Tinian. He said the task force has never discussed it before.

Japan had said it will reach a final conclusion by the end of May on where it wants to see the Futenma facility relocated, and a government committee has been exploring possible candidate sites, while Washington, D.C. maintains that a plan agreed upon by Japan and the United States in 2006 to move the Futenma base to a less densely populated part of Okinawa is the best option.

The three Japanese lawmakers who visited Saipan last week-Mikio Shimoji, Tomoko Abe, and Ryoichi Hattori-met with Fitial, Lt. Gov. Eloy S. Inos, House Speaker Froilan C. Tenorio (Cov-Saipan), and Senate President Paul A. Manglona (R-Saipan).

The three lawmakers were part of a 23-member Japanese government delegation who arrived in Guam for a “fact-finding” visit, particularly to see if there's suitable place on Guam for more U.S. troops to be relocated off Okinawa.

The up to 4,000 considered to be relocated to Tinian is in addition to the estimated 8,000 Marines and their 9,000 dependents who are expected to be relocated by 2014, although Guam Gov. Felix P. Camacho asked for the military buildup to be delayed until after 2014.

Fitial and other CNMI officials last week said they welcome the relocation of U.S. troops to the Commonwealth provided the U.S. government consents to such move. This statement was repeated yesterday by the administration and the MIMC.

Senators to meet with Webb

Senators to meet with Webb

Wednesday, 17 February 2010 03:29
by Therese Hart | Variety News Staff

SENATOR Jim Webb from Virginia, who is on a weeklong tour of Japan and Guam, will meet with Guam lawmakers on Thursday.

In Japan, Webb said he was open to hearing options on how to resolve the dispute over the relocation of the Futenma Marine air base in Okinawa.

The situation has become a contentious issue with the U.S. government and the new Japanese government, which has put a hold on plans to move Futenma air base on Nago, the southern island of Okinawa.

Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama has said he will make a decision on Futenma by May.

Speaker Judi Won Pat said lawmakers will share with Webb their concerns regarding the draft environmental impact statement, as well as the U.S. not providing any funding to assist Guam in preparing for the military buildup which includes strengthening its infrastructure, the building of new schools to mitigate the already overcrowded facilities, the U.S. proposed firing range, the dredging of Apra Harbor, eminent domain, and the true overall sentiments of the people regarding the buildup.

Won Pat said with the recent fact-finding mission by a Japanese delegation to Guam, Japanese officials now have a clear picture of the reality of the buildup and the financial burden the government of Guam must carry. Won Pat said she was assured by Diet members that the information gathered will be carried back to Japan and told.

Won Pat said she hopes Webb will be open to lawmakers’ concerns and that he too will bring back these issues to his colleagues in Washington.

Webb has traveled to Okinawa in the last 40 years, first as a Marine during the Vietnam War and later as a U.S. defense planner and government official. He is a member of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee.

Kitazawa says relocation plan be ready by May

Kitazawa says relocation plan be ready by May

2010/02/15 20:44(JST)

Japan's Defense Minister Toshimi Kitazawa told a visiting senior US lawmaker that Japan will decide on the relocation of the US Marine Corps Futenma Air Station in Okinawa by May, in a manner acceptable to the United States.

Kitazawa met US Senator Jim Webb on Monday at the Defense Ministry in Tokyo. Webb chairs the East Asia and Pacific Affairs Subcommittee of the US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations.

Webb said the United States understands the need to reduce excessive burden that US bases impose on Okinawa.

He also stressed the need for the public to understand the shared security interest in maintaining the bilateral alliance, and the importance of the US military presence in preserving stability in the Asia-Pacific region.

Kitazawa replied that the Hatoyama administration will reach a conclusion by the end of May. He said he hopes to arrive at the best possible conclusion in the limited time period.

Earlier in the day, Webb met with Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada and said Japan-US relations are firm enough to overcome any difficulties that may arise between the 2 countries.

Webb added he is confident that the United States can look forward to a conclusion from Japan that will be favorable to both nations.

U.S. senator open to suggestions from Japan on military base issue

U.S. senator open to suggestions from Japan on military base issue

Feb 15 06:19 AM US/Eastern

(AP) - TOKYO, Feb. 15 (Kyodo) — Visiting U.S. Sen. Jim Webb said Monday he is "open to listening to all the suggestions" from the Japanese government on the issue of where to relocate a U.S. military airfield in the southernmost Japanese prefecture of Okinawa.

The chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on East Asian and Pacific Affairs also said there could be "a number of practical options" on the issue, but noted he has no intention to recommend that the functions of the U.S. Marine Corps' Futemma Air Station be relocated outside of Okinawa.

"There are ways that the American military could be readjusted, but they also have to be able to perform their mission," Webb, who spent time on Okinawa as a U.S. Marine during the Vietnam War and revisited the island in the 1970s as a defense planner, said at the Japan National Press Club in Tokyo.

Following a historic change of government in September, the new Japanese government and the ruling parties are exploring an alternative to an existing plan agreed on between Tokyo and Washington in 2006 to move the Futemma facility in Ginowan to a less densely populated city in Okinawa.

The two junior coalition partners in the Democratic Party of Japan-led government are set to present their relocation proposals Wednesday to a government committee that is considering the issue, which are likely to include Guam or an idea to integrate the Futemma functions with the nearby U.S. Kadena Air Base in Okinawa.

But prospects remain unclear on whether the proposals would lead the Japanese government to settle the issue by the end of May as it has pledged, given that both ideas have been floated in the past but have been seen as difficult to realize.

Webb did not elaborate on what he called "practical options," but added, "I do believe that we must find a solution on the Futemma issue for the well-being of the citizens in that area."

"And I am open to listening to all the suggestions from the Japanese government and also from the people of Okinawa," he said, while noting that the base issue should be resolved in a way that both Japan and the United States "feel comfortable."

The United States has pressed Japan to implement the existing relocation plan on the grounds that it is the only viable option. The Futemma relocation is part of a broader 2006 bilateral agreement on the reconfiguration of U.S. forces in Japan, which took years to reach.

Separately, Japanese Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada told Webb in a meeting at the Foreign Ministry that the Japanese government would like to hold discussions with the U.S. government on the Futemma issue before reaching a conclusion in May, according to the ministry's press release.

Webb was quoted as telling Okada that the Japan-U.S. ties are strong enough to overcome specific problems and that he believes the conclusion on the issue, no matter what it may be, would be desirable for both countries, it said.

During his visit to Japan, Webb also plans to go to Okinawa. He will also visit Guam, where the transfer of about 8,000 Marines from Okinawa is planned under the 2006 Japan-U.S. agreement.

Touching on the issue of massive Toyota vehicle recalls, Webb said at the Japan National Press Club that it is a "business issue" and would not affect the bilateral ties from a political viewpoint.

Kitazawa: Relocation to Guam "unlikely"

Kitazawa: Relocation to Guam "unlikely"

2010/02/15 16:13(JST)

Defense Minister Toshimi Kitazawa has indicated that it is unlikely that all the functions of the US Marine Corps Futenma Air Station in Okinawa will be relocated to Guam.

Speaking at the Lower House budget committee on Monday, Kitazawa said the geological advantages that Okinawa possesses in terms of national defense, as well as the peace and stability of the Asia-Pacific region, cannot be overlooked.

He said the presence of the US Marines in Okinawa is of great significance.

10 areas of concerns but Tinian Chamber of Commerce supports military buildup

10 areas of concerns but Tinian Chamber of Commerce supports military buildup

Monday, February 15, 2010
By Haidee V. Eugenio

The Tinian Chamber of Commerce has formally expressed its support to the military investment on Tinian in connection with the massive troop buildup in the Marianas, but it has pointed out 10 areas of concerns, including limited economic impact, only a few local jobs to be generated, and periodic limited access to beach sites, other tourism related sites, and cattle grazing land.

In a 12-page position paper and official comments on the draft environmental impact statement for the Guam and CNMI military relocation, the Chamber said its comments are meant to “constructively point out unintentional consequences caused by the military's proposed action” on the draft EIS.

Feb. 17 is the deadline for submitting comments on the draft EIS.

The Chamber, which has over 50 active members on Tinian, also offered “solutions” to meet the expectations of businesses and residents on the island.

Phillip Mendiola-Long, president of the Tinian Chamber of Commerce, said Tinian has endured over 30 years of pent up expectations for the military's use and development of the 18,000 acres of leased land on Tinian.

Some two-thirds of the lands on Tinian are leased by the U.S. military, and battalion level non-live fire training areas already exist and are used on these leased parcels.

Because Guam cannot accommodate all training for the relocating Marines from Okinawa, Japan, the U.S. military looks at Tinian to provide opportunities for training groups of 200 Marines or larger due to greater land availability.

The proposed actions on Tinian include firing ranges for rifle known distance, automated combat pistol, platoon battle course, field firing, and airspace use.

In a Feb. 12 position paper and comments on the draft EIS, the Chamber said it disagrees with the determination of “less than significant” for impacts to the roads and harbors as a result of the proposed action on Tinian.

The Chamber said there are no studies or compaction tests offered to determine if in fact the roads built in 1944 can withstand the additional and heavier loads required for equipment used in the range.

The business group added that the draft EIS failed to identify which specific Tinian roads would be accessed or used when moving personnel and equipment from the airport or the harbor.

It also said there's no real live fire tests offered to measure noise impact, even as the draft EIS said there is no noise impact associated with the proposed action on Tinian.

Recreational resources

The Chamber said the draft EIS omitted significant recreational resources that will be impacted.

They include Unai Dankulu/Long Beach which consists of over 10 beaches spread over a distance of 1.5 kilometers, and Unai Masalok which consists of three beaches spread over a distance of 0.5 kilometers.

“Access would be impeded, recreational opportunities would be reduced, conflicts would be created and physical deterioration would occur. Unai Dankulo is the longest beach on Tinian and is a major tourist and resident recreational spot,” the business group said.

Since the draft EIS identifies additional significant impact on Tinian due to the introduction of hazardous materials and waste, it would seem appropriate that the draft EIS offer as a mitigation measure the hazardous materials cleanup of the Tinian mortar range, it added.

Under the draft EIS, military training activity would be scheduled and notice provided in newspapers and via public service announcements on radio and television at least a week prior to any training event.

But the Chamber said a one-week notice window is not enough time for tourists and residents to address their scheduling of activities for use of the North Field areas.

The Chamber also said that the draft EIS failed to identify what range training area policies are envisioned for potential civilian access and use of the historical and recreational areas located in the RTA.

Limited economic impact

Liberty for training Marines is currently not guaranteed for regular training exercises under the current description of the proposed action.

Liberty may be available to the advanced teams before and after training exercises, though these advanced teams would be much smaller and thus have a lesser economic impact.

The draft EIS said to enhance economic benefits and compensate for economic costs for local businesses, the Marine Corps would consider granting trainees some liberty at the end of every training mission so that they might spend money in local establishments and interact with local residents.

The Chamber recommends that the draft EIS implement liberty time within the proposed training schedule and measure economic impact of allowing 200 to 400 military personnel to have liberty in downtown Tinian.

The business group also recommends mitigation for the loss of Tinian economic tourism activity by requiring the U.S. military to pay for the development of a small museum dedicated to Tinian history.

Gov. Benigno R. Fitial and Tinian Mayor Ramon M. Dela Cruz jointly asked Interior Secretary Ken Salazar to help build a museum or visitor's center that will depict Tinian's role in World War II, even as a “Manhattan Project National Historical Park” system is being created.

Tinian was the staging area for the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki to end the war.

Grazing permits, jobs

The U.S. military would end the grazing rights to build the proposed ranges on Tinian, causing significant adverse economic impact. There are 35 grazing permits to be affected by this.

The Chamber said this is unfair and unacceptable, and recommends that the military offer help in grazing relocation efforts.

The draft EIS also said there is a “possibility” that 12 to 15 Tinian residents could be employed as security guards, grounds keeping crew, and sanitation workers to support the proposed action, a “less than significant impact.”

“One must admit that the proposed military action and the possible environmental consequences is already a 'hard sell' to the people of Tinian, yet not enough thought or concern was given to the people of Tinian in this DEIS,” said the Chamber.

It added that that the draft EIS does not identify high-paying jobs such as range management positions.

The $15- to $20-billion military buildup in Guam and Tinian involves the relocation of some 8,000 Marines to Guam, and this still excludes thousands of family members and workers needed.

PNC :: Japan's SDP Wants To Move Futemma to Guam

PNC :: Japan's SDP Wants To Move Futemma to Guam

Sunday, 14 February 2010

Guam - Japan's Social Democratic Party plans to include Guam among proposed alternative sites for the relocation of the U.S. Marine Corps' Futemma Air Station in Okinawa.

Reports from both the AP and Kyodo news services posted on breitbart.com, say that the SDP will place emphasis on Guam as the destination for most of the base's functions. Party Policy chief Tomoko Abe is quoted as saying "The bases in Guam are big and there are many possible locations."

Another governing coalition partner, the People's New Party, is reportedly proposing integrating Futemma's functions with the nearby U.S. Kadena Air Base.

Read the posting on Breitbart
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D9DR735G0&show_article=1

The two junior coalition partners in the Democratic Party of Japan-led government are set to present their relocation proposals Wednesday to a government committee exploring possible alternative sites for moving Futemma, currently located in the city of Ginowan.

Just last week, Guam Governor Felix Camacho told a visiting Japanese Diet delegation that Guam could not accommodate any more than 8,600 Marines currently being proposed for transfer here from Futenma.

Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama has said his government would announce its desired intentions for the Futenma relocation in May.

The U.S. government continues to maintain that the existing plan to move the base to Nagano, which was agreed to by the previous Japanese Government, is the best option.

Written by : Kevin Kerrigan

Nago mayor rejects new Futenma relocation plan

Nago mayor rejects new Futenma relocation plan

2010/02/14 17:18(JST)

The mayor of Nago, Okinawa Prefecture, has again indicated that he will reject any proposal to relocate the US Futenma Marine Corps Air Station to the city.

Mayor Susumu Inamine was responding to a new proposal by a junior coalition partner, the People's New Party, to build a helicopter runway at the US Camp Schwab in Nago.

The party will present the idea to a government panel on Wednesday along with another proposal to merge Futenma with the US Kadena Air Base, also in Okinawa.

Inamine told NHK that he has consistently opposed building a new military facility anywhere in Nago.

The Nago mayor urged the government to respect the opinions of the people who elected him last month.

He plans to travel to Tokyo this week to ask government officials to give up the idea of relocating the air station to Nago.

Japan and the United States agreed in 2006 to build a runway in a coastal area of Camp Schwab as an alternative to Futenma.

But the current government that took power last year is considering other options, including relocating the air station outside Okinawa.

PNC :: Japan Fact-Finding Delegation Arrives Tonight

PNC :: Japan Fact-Finding Delegation Arrives Tonight

Wednesday, 10 February 2010

Guam - A twenty three member fact finding delegation from Japan will begin arriving this evening.

According to the Japan Consulate Office the members will arrive on seperate flights with the Head of the Delegation Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Yorihisa Matsuno arriving near Midnight. Also on the delegation are National Diet or Japan Legislative members Mikio Shimoji, Tomuko Abe, and Daisuke Nagayama. While here they will tour Naval Station NCTAMs and Andersen Airforce Base.

The group was sent on this fact finding mission by Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama in order to see if Guam will be suitable as a potential site for the relocation of the Futenma marine air base. This base has been the center of much contention between the U.S. and Japan and has been described by U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates as the "Lynchpin" in the Defense Realignment Agreement between the U.S. and Japan. This agreement will send 8,000 marines and 9,000 of their dependents from Okinawa to Guam. The deal also includes relocating the Futenma base to northern Okinawa. Okinawans have protested this move citing the damage it will cause to the habitat of the endangered Dugong (a marine mammal related to the sea manatee). Japan officials have previously cited Guam as a potential alternative for Futenma's relocation.

The Japan Consulate has confirmed that the Japan delegation will be touring military bases tommorrow. They are scheduled to see Naval Station, NCTAMS, and Andersen Airforce base. They will be Meeting with military officals and the Governor, however they will not be available to meet with local media.

Written by : Clynt Ridgell

US senator to seek solutions on Japan base row

US senator to seek solutions on Japan base row

AFP
Feb 9 02:50 PM US/Eastern

US Senator Jim Webb will head to Japan in a bid to seek solutions in an increasingly rancorous debate over a US military base on the southern island of Okinawa, his office said Tuesday.

Webb, who heads the Senate Foreign Relations subcommittee on East Asia and the Armed Forces subcommittee on personnel, will visit Tokyo, Okinawa and the US Pacific territory of Guam on the one-week trip starting Saturday.

Webb will "listen carefully to the views of the current Japanese government, the leaders and citizens of Okinawa and Guam and US military leaders and personnel stationed in the Pacific region," his office said in a statement.

The United States and Japan in 2006 reached an agreement to shift thousands of US troops to Guam from Okinawa, where the heavy presence of US forces has long led to frictions with the local community.

Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama launched a review of a key part of the deal -- the status of Futenma air base -- after his left-leaning coalition defeated Japan's long-ruling conservatives in the historic August 30 election.

The original plan called for Futenma's facilities to be moved from a busy urban area to reclaimed land off a quiet Okinawan village, but some allies of Hatoyama want the air base removed entirely.

The United States opposes revisions to the deal, saying Futenma's facilities are a military necessity. The United States stations some 47,000 troops under a security alliance with Japan, which has been pacifist since World War II.

Webb's office said the senator, a member of President Barack Obama's Democratic Party who represents Virginia, was a "strong proponent of the vital interests served by a healthy US-Japan relationship."

A former combat Marine, journalist and novelist, Webb has visited Japan throughout his career and once authored a study of the Japanese prison system.

As secretary of the navy, Webb in 1987 went to Okinawa to return the bell from Gokoku-ji Temple that had been taken to the United States by Commodore Matthew Perry, who pried open Japan after the nation's more than two centuries of self-imposed isolation.

Japan delegates to look for relocation sites

Japan delegates to look for relocation sites

By Dionesis Tamondong • Pacific Daily News • February 10, 2010

A delegation of Japanese officials was scheduled to have arrived in Guam last night to look at the progress of the military buildup preparations.

Seisuke Shimizu, deputy consul general of the Japanese Consulate on Guam, said he couldn't release the names of those participating in the fact-finding mission. More than 20 officials are part of the trip, he said.

The trip was ordered by Japan's Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama, and among the delegation's objectives is to compile a list of possible relocation sites for the Marine Corps Futenma Air Station, according to a report last week by Stars and Stripes.

The relocation of the base to northern Okinawa is part of a 2006 agreement between Japan and the United States to realign American troops in Japan. The agreement also calls for reducing the presence of U.S. troops in Okinawa and moving about 8,000 Marines and their 9,000 dependents to Guam.

Some of Japan's new elected officials have said they want more time to review the U.S.-Japan agreement. Some officials have even called for moving all U.S. troops off Okinawa completely, with Guam being one of the alternative sites.

The agreement also involves Japan helping to pay $6 billion of the estimated $10.27 billion cost to relocate Marines to Guam.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates has said the United States will continue to work with Japan on moving forward with the realignment of U.S. military forces.

The delegation is tentatively scheduled to make a courtesy visit to the governor's office today, said Charlene Calip, spokeswoman for Gov. Felix Camacho.

Three Japanese lawmakers make brief stop on Saipan

Three Japanese lawmakers make brief stop on Saipan

Tuesday, February 09, 2010
By Haidee V. Eugenio
Reporter

Three Japanese lawmakers who play major roles in the ongoing talks about the relocation of U.S. Marines from Japan to Guam will meet on Saipan with Gov. Benigno R. Fitial and other CNMI officials on their way to Guam on Wednesday.

The visiting members of the National Diet or the Japan Legislature include Mikio Shimoji, Tomoko Abe, and Ryoichi Hattori, Lt. Gov. Eloy S. Inos' legal counsel, Teresa Kim, said yesterday.

Shimoji is the policy chief of the People’s New Party, one of the tripartite ruling coalitions in Japan, Abe is the policy chief of the Social Democratic Party, and Hattori is also with the Social Democratic Party.

Kim said the Japanese lawmakers will be on Saipan “for approximately two hours before proceeding to Guam to meet with Guam leaders.”

During their short time on Saipan, they will meet with Fitial, Inos, House Speaker Froilan C. Tenorio (Cov-Saipan), and Senate President Paul A. Manglona (R-Rota) “to discuss current issues relevant to the CNMI and Japan and discuss any plans they may have so as to improve our tourism and economy,” said Kim.

Japan continues to be the CNMI's main tourism market. In December alone, 15,638 visitors from Japan came to the CNMI but this marked a 24 percent decrease compared to December 2008.

“The CNMI has always enjoyed a great working relationship with Japan. We recognize that Japan is our number one tourism source market and always welcome opportunities to meet with leaders of Japan to listen to their ideas and implement them when possible,” Kim added.

The Fitial administration has invited the media for a news briefing with the visiting Japanese lawmakers at 4:15pm Wednesday at the Coral Ocean Point.

The three Japanese lawmakers' visit comes at a time when Guam is on the verge of a massive military buildup, although Guam Gov. Felix P. Camacho has asked for a delay until after 2014.

A part of the realignment plan for the U.S. military in the region involves the relocation of some 8,000 Marines and their families from Okinawa to Guam by 2014.

Decision inching closer

Decision inching closer

Tuesday, 09 February 2010 04:05
by Romeo Carlos |
Variety News Staff

Fact-finding mission from Japan, Futenma air base accord expected

IN A sign of progress in Japan’s laggard decision-making process of what to do about the relocation of U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma in Okinawa, Kyodo News is reporting another trip to Guam by Japanese government officials is set for tomorrow.

The undisclosed Japanese official is expected on island as part of the second fact-finding mission since December as the Tokyo government tries to narrow down potential sites for the relocation of the air base and select a candidate site by the end of next month, according to sources.

The Social Democratic Party, one of the junior coalition partners in the new center-left government of Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama, has floated Guam as an alternative to the current plan. A government committee decided at a meeting Tuesday they needed to know more about the situation on the ground on Guam and decided to send a fact-finding mission on Feb. 10.

According to the Japanese news service, the committee, chaired by Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirofumi Hirano, will look at potential alternate sites in Okinawa for Futenma but said they will not exclude the current plan which calls for moving the air base to a less dense area of the southern Japanese island in Nago city.

The source further explained to Kyodo News that the committee was instructed by government officials to come up with alternate possibilities by the end of March as officials would still need to check with the United States and get approval from local governments in the alternate area selected.

Panel members are expected to present their alternative plans for consideration in the second half of this month.

At a ministerial committee meeting involving the heads of the three parties in the governing coalition, which will include reports submitted by the Guam fact-finding mission upon their return, a decision is expected to be hashed out of the discussions in ample time for Hatoyama’s May deadline adjudication.

Japan contingent expected this week

Japan contingent expected this week

Posted: Feb 08, 2010 10:18 AM
Updated: Feb 08, 2010 2:45 PM

by Mindy Aguon

Guam - A fact-finding team from Japan is expected to visit the island this week as a special committee, formed to review a pact between Japan and the United States, is compiling a list of possible relocation sites for the Futenma air base. The Status of Forces Agreement provides for the relocation of U.S. Marines from Okinawa to the territory once Futenma is moved to Camp Schwab in Northwest Okinawa.

The special committee though, according to the stars and stripes, will send a special team to the island on February 10 at the request of the Social Democratic Party. But Japan Deputy Consulate Seisuke Shimizu says the trip has not been officially confirmed yet. Japan's defense minister Toshimi Kitizawa visited the island in December and said he felt it would be "impossible" to have the air base on the island.

Japan has announced that it doesn't intend to make a decision on the replacement facility until May.