Bank Of Guam Economist Urges: Post-Buildup Is Critical

Bank Of Guam Economist Urges: Post-Buildup Is Critical

Written by Jeff Marchesseault, Guam News Factor Staff Writer
Thursday, 17 December 2009 16:10

GUAM – Noted Bank of Guam Economist Joe Bradley says the more attention we give to the post-buildup, the better shape we'll be in afterwards.

Otherwise, the military expansion could shape into a classic case of boom and bust. He predicts a recession on island by 2016 if the investment community doesn't do something fast to diversify the economy, so it doesn't fall apart when tens of thousands of buildup-era workers leave Guam.

Drawing a deep breath, Bradley called it like he saw it today. "The boom scares me to death and the bust scares me to death. It's going to be huge on both sides of the coin," he said at a meeting of business leaders hosted by the Guam Economic Development Authority at the ITC building in Tamuning today.

The economist spoke before the Civilian Military Task Force's Economic Development Subcommittee at GEDA's conference room. It's the first CMTF subcommittee to address the Department of Defense's Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the $15 billion buildup scheduled to take place on Guam between 2010 and 2014.

Bradley says Guam's economy is over-dependent on construction cycles, and Guam workers deserve training. Training to help displace the two-thirds of buildup jobs that will otherwise go to imported workers. Training in the skill sets that will sustain a burgeoning private sector when the buildup era ends.

Navy Says Service Members On Guam Won't Get Housing Bump

Navy Says Service Members On Guam Won't Get Housing Bump

Written by Michael Rudolph, Guam News Factor Writer
Thursday, 17 December 2009 13:01

GUAM - Members of the armed forces stationed on Guam will reportedly not benefit from the average 2.5% increase in housing allowance rates for 2010.

Guam service members are under the Overseas Housing Allowance (OHA) program, which according to Guam Navy Housing has not been informed by Washington of any housing allowance increases for 2010.

The Department of Defense issued a press release yesterday to announce that close to one million men and women serving in the armed forces and stationed in the 50 U.S. States will receive an average increase of $37 (2.5%) to their monthly housing allowances.

The 2.5% increase to the Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) Program for 2010 marks the smallest increase in the program's history. This is because "Rates are set based on actual housing data, so as the economy has declined, vacancy rates have increased [and] rental prices have declined, which results directly to lower BAH rates in various areas," according to the statement made by DoD BAH program analyst Cherly Anne Woehr reported by the American Forces Press Service.

But, according to Woehr's assessment, big cities in the U.S. may account for the overall bump.

Typically, rates are higher in larger, more heavily populated metropolitan areas, such as New York City, Chicago and Washington, D.C. Rates in rural areas usually are more stable, and although they may increase to some degree, the rise doesn't have the same impact as in larger cities.

Military to hikers: Take up indoor hobbies

Military to hikers: Take up indoor hobbies

Friday, 18 December 2009 04:21 by Jude Lizama | Variety News Staff

SINCE bonnie stompers are likely to lose access to jungles and cultural sites on island, the military is suggesting that hikers switch to indoor hobbies.

The Marine Corps Community Service has proposed various quality of life facilities such as hobby shop, indoor physical fitness centers, indoor recreational resources such as bowling, skating rink, youth center, theater and recreational pavilion.

These are among the alternative recreations cited by the military in the draft environmental impact statement.

“By presenting alternate recreational options to the potential users, impacts to the recreational resources on non-DoD lands in north Guam could be lessened,” the study cited.

A significant portion of nonmilitary acreage on the east coast of the island, in addition to the loss of some of the island’s recreational and cultural sites, may be confiscated as a result of the training range complex construction alternatives proposed within the draft environmental impact statement.

According to the impact study, “There are several recreational resources that the public would lose the access to, and the use of the features if the proposed action were implemented: Guam International Raceway, Marbo Cave, Pagat Trail and associated trails near it, cultural gathering activities (suruhana), and off-shore fishing near Marbo Cave.”

Through the possible implementation of Training Complex Alternative A, the U.S. military would look to acquire 921 acres of nonmilitary land located east of both Andersen South and Route 15. This alternative would also require 1.7 miles of Route 15 to be realigned. Alternative B could possible would see the military take 1,129 acres with no realignment to Route 15.

If conducted, both of the training facility options would consist of live fire ranges under the classifications of known distance, unknown distance, pistol, square-bay, and machine gun; in addition to range control, range roads, range towers, and proposed special use airspace.

Additionally, the study cited that “Implementation of [Main Cantonment] Alternative 1, regardless of the Training Complex Alternatives A or B, would cause the cessation of the present activities at all the resources mentioned because the Known Distance Range Complex is proposed in that location. The loss of Guam International Raceway land and use would be an adverse impact. Therefore, [Main Cantonment] Alternative 1 would result in significant impacts to recreational resources.”

“Heightened awareness and education about environmentally sensitive areas,” will contribute toward “minimizing deterioration of resources,” the draft study says. “The general wear and tear of the amenities available and the conditions of the recreational resources would likely be accelerated due to the presence of potential users.”

Coalition leader wants US base off Okinawa

Coalition leader wants US base off Okinawa

Friday, 18 December 2009 04:32 by Eric Talmadge Associated Press

NAHA, Japan (AP)— The leader of one of Japan's ruling coalition parties said Wednesday she wants a U.S. Marine base moved off the southern island of Okinawa, deepening a dispute with Washington over the future of the airfield.

Mizuho Fukushima, head of the left-leaning Social Democratic Party, said that as a member of the Cabinet she supports the closure and removal of the base.

"I am optimistic something can be done to move the base off Okinawa or out of the country," she said after a meeting with Okinawa's governor, Hirokazu Nakaima, in the local capital of Naha.

"I also think it would be best if the base could be moved off Okinawa," Nakaima said.

Longer time

Under intense pressure from his political base, Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama said Japan needs several more months to decide, prompting the U.S. Marine Corps commandant, Gen. James Conway, to warn that the base's status is "absolutely vital to the defense that we provide for the entire region."

Fukushima, the leader of the smallest group in Japan's three-party ruling coalition, has hinted her party would withdraw from the government if the base is not moved off Okinawa. Her staunch opposition to the previous plan is seen as a primary factor behind Hatoyama's reluctance to decide on a relocation site.

The U.S. had hoped for a resolution by the end of the year, but Hatoyama said a hasty decision would be irresponsible.

Hatoyama has promised that Tokyo will adopt a less subservient relationship with Washington, but has also stressed the U.S. security alliance is the cornerstone of Japan's diplomacy.

Disappointed

Meanwhile, Congresswoman Madeleine Bordallo expressed disappointment Hatoyama’s decision to delay making a final decision on the implementation of the 2006 plan.

“Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and then-Foreign Minister Hirofumi Nakasone signed the Guam International Agreement in February of this year which codified the implementation plan for realignment of military forces in Japan to include the transfer of Marines from Okinawa to Guam. This agreement was reached after lengthy discussions and negotiations,” Bordallo said.

She noted that difficult decisions were reached in the agreement but they are the best options available that allow the alliance between the two nations to remain strong.

“I believe that with additional time, Prime Minister Hatoyama’s administration will come to the same conclusion as the Obama administration and previous governments in Japan that this is the best deal,” Bordallo said.

The congresswoman cited the importance of getting a commitment from the government of Japan to provide funding for the new airfield as well as the realignment of Marines from Okinawa to Guam.

“This fiscal commitment in the forthcoming Government of Japan fiscal year 2010 budget is important to continuing the U.S. government’s commitment to the implementation plan,” Bordallo said. “I firmly believe that moving forward with the implementation plan is critical to ensuring that of both our nations are postured to effectively respond to current and emerging threats in the Asia-Pacific region.”

Socioeconomic impacts of troop expansion explained

Socioeconomic impacts of troop expansion explained

Posted: Dec 16, 2009 10:16 PM PST

by Nick Delgado

Guam - The Civilian Military Task Force's Subcommittee on Economic Development made a presentation to the Guam Economic Development Authority's board of director this afternoon. Member and Bank of Guam Vice-President Joseph Bradley spoke on the socioeconomic impacts of the draft environmental impact statement, as well as the controversy surrounding the Futenma Replacement Facility.

Like Congresswoman Madeleine Bordallo, Bradley says there is cause for concern surrounding the delay in making a final decision. "This delay in the decision makes things a lot more tenuous. I mean the first delay was until January, now were delayed to May. It makes me more concerned that we'll see a lot more than 8,000 Marines on Guam. We may see more Marines, Air Force, and Army," he stated.

Bordallo disappointed about Futenma relocation

Bordallo disappointed about Futenma relocation

Posted: Dec 16, 2009 1:59 PM PST

by Nick Delgado

Guam - Congresswoman Madeleine Bordallo expressed major frustration after recent numerous media reports that Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama's Administration has delayed final decision on the Futenma replacement facility until May 2010.

In a news release Bordallo states, "I am disappointed by Prime Minister Hatoyama's delay in making a final decision about adhering to the agreed upon implementation plan which includes the development of a replacement facility for Marine aviation at Futenma airfield,"

Bordallo says that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and then-Foreign Minister Hirofumi Nakasone already signed the so-called Guam International Agreement in February of this year which allows for the relocation of Marines from Okinawa to Guam. "This agreement was reached after lengthy discussions and negotiations. There are difficult decisions that were reached in the agreement but they are the best options available that allow our alliance to remain strong."

Bordallo says what's important now is to see a commitment from the Japan government to fund the new airfield as well as the realignment of Marines. She also stands firm that moving forward with the implementation plan is critical to ensure that both the U.S. and Japan are ready to respond to current and emerging threats in the Asia-Pacific region.

The United States is waiting for the decision as it continues to push for Japan to stick to the 2006 Status of Forces Agreement, wherein the two countries agreed to move the Futenma air base to Henoko. The U.S. has also warned that if the Futenma relocation does not occur, neither will the relocation of Marines to Guam.
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Marines’ relocation faces delay

Marines’ relocation faces delay

Thursday, 17 December 2009 05:17 by Foster Klug | Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP)-- The United States is expressing discomfort that Japan is delaying relocation of a major U.S. military base even as it signals a willingness to be patient with the country's new government.

Part of the plan also involves moving about 8,000 Marines and their families from Okinawa to Guam by 2014, but the U.S. military says that plan cannot move forward until Futenma's replacement facility is completed.

Gen. James Conway, the U.S. Marine Corps commandant, told reporters he had not been informed about the delay. But, he said, "at this point, it sounds like it's more and more up in the air, which is unfortunate."

"The Futenma replacement facility is absolutely vital to the defense that we provide for the entire region," Conway said.

Conway said questions have arisen about whether the move to Guam could be done by 2014. "Any delay at this point only puts that date, I think, in greater doubt," he said.

State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley offered a more muted response when asked about U.S. frustration with Japan.

"The Japanese government has indicated to us that they'd like a little more time to work through these issues, and we're happy to oblige them," Crowley told reporters. But, he added, U.S.-Japan talks would not be "an indefinite conversation."

U.S. lawmakers have approved $300 million for the current fiscal year for the relocation of the Marines to Guam, and the overall bill is awaiting Obama's expected signature into law.

Despite widespread frustration over Japan's backtracking on a signed agreement, Washington is giving Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama some time to get his footing in the aftermath of elections that threw out a party that had ruled Japan for most of the post-World War II era. That patience has its limits, however, as U.S. officials indicated Tuesday after Hatoyama said Japan needs several more months to decide on the relocation of the U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma on the southern island of Okinawa.

Sen. John McCain, the top Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee and President Barack Obama's rival in the 2008 presidential race, spoke of the need to act urgently.

"American troops in Japan are a force of stability in Asia," McCain said at a Washington think tank. "I hope we can work out these negotiations as quickly as possible, since there is questioning throughout Asia as to what exactly the U.S.-Japanese relationship will be in light of the new government of Japan."

PNC :: Guthertz Believes Japan Will Resolve Futenma Issue

PNC :: Guthertz Believes Japan Will Resolve Futenma Issue

Wednesday, 16 December 2009

Guam - Senator Judi Guthertz responds today to the announcement from Japan that it won't make a decision on the relocation of the Futenma military installation until may of next year.

The movement of marines to Guam is contingent upon the Futenma relocation however Senator Guthertz says it would be very disfavoring to Japan to delay the movement because they have already signed a binding agreement with the U.S.. The senator believes Japan will likely honor their commitment with the United States.

Guthertz adds that Japan's prime minister risks angering members of congress who can suspend appropriations for the military buildup on Guam thus delaying the movement of marines out of Okinawa. She says there is a lot at risk for Japan which is why she believes they will have to come to a quick decision to avoid a big delay of the movement of marines to Guam.

Written by : Clynt Ridgell

US calls Japan base delay decision unfortunate

US calls Japan base delay decision unfortunate

By FOSTER KLUG, Associated Press Writer
Wed Dec 16, 3:11 am ET

WASHINGTON – The United States is frustrated by Japan's delay in relocating a major U.S. military base, even as the U.S. signals a willingness to be patient with Tokyo's new government.

The moderate approach reflects the Obama administration's desire not to destroy ties with its most important Asian ally at a time when China is building up its military and North Korean provocations include nuclear and missile tests.

Despite widespread displeasure that Japan has backtracked on a signed agreement, the U.S. is giving Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama some time to get his footing in the aftermath of elections that threw out a party that had ruled Japan for most of the post-World War II era. That patience has its limits, however, as U.S. officials indicated Tuesday after Hatoyama said Japan needs several more months to decide on the relocation of the U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma on the southern island of Okinawa.

The Futenma move is the centerpiece of a sweeping realignment plan for the 47,000 U.S. troops in Japan, and Hatoyama's comments that a hasty decision on moving the base would be irresponsible appear to spoil the U.S. goal of resolving the matter by the end of the year.

Gen. James Conway, the U.S. Marine Corps commandant, told reporters he had not been informed about the delay. But, he said, "at this point, it sounds like it's more and more up in the air, which is unfortunate."

"The Futenma replacement facility is absolutely vital to the defense that we provide for the entire region," Conway said.

Arizona Sen. John McCain, the top Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee and President Barack Obama's rival in the 2008 presidential race, spoke of the need to act urgently.

"American troops in Japan are a force of stability in Asia," McCain told a Washington think tank Tuesday. "I hope we can work out these negotiations as quickly as possible, since there is questioning throughout Asia as to what exactly the U.S.-Japanese relationship will be in light of the new government of Japan."

A 2006 U.S.-Japan reorganization plan was meant to ease the load on Okinawa, which hosts more than half the U.S. troops in Japan. Residents in Okinawa complain about noise, pollution and crime — including the 1995 rape of a 12-year-old girl by three U.S. servicemen — and many want the Futenma airfield closed and its functions moved off the island.

Hatoyama, whose party came to power after a landslide election victory in August, has promised that Japan would adopt a less subservient relationship with the U.S. and has refused to accept any deadlines for signing off on the deal to move Futenma to a more remote part of Okinawa.

Part of the plan also involves moving about 8,000 Marines and their families from Okinawa to the U.S. territory of Guam by 2014, but the U.S. military says that plan cannot move forward until Futenma's replacement facility is completed.

Conway said questions have arisen about whether the move to Guam could be completed by 2014. "Any delay at this point only puts that date, I think, in greater doubt," he said.

State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley offered a more muted response when asked about U.S. frustration with Japan.

"The Japanese government has indicated to us that they'd like a little more time to work through these issues, and we're happy to oblige them," Crowley told reporters. But, he added, U.S.-Japan talks would not be "an indefinite conversation."

Futenma has proven to be a distraction as the two governments try to forge ties, with senior officials from both countries absorbed with the move.

Michael Auslin, a Japan specialist with the American Enterprise Institute think tank, said Hatoyama may be hoping that the United States will give in and agree to renegotiate the plan.

In the meantime, Auslin said, "the alliance has taken a hit. Trust has been degraded; frustration has risen; relations will be noticeably cooler for the foreseeable future."

Japan intends to abide by overall accord on realignment of U.S. forces

Japan intends to abide by overall accord on realignment of U.S. forces

Dec 16 12:55 AM US/Eastern

(AP) - TOKYO, Dec. 16 (Kyodo) — Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirofumi Hirano said Wednesday that Japan intends to abide by the overall 2006 Japanese-U.S. agreement on the realignment of U.S. forces in the country, but will seek an alternative site to relocate a U.S. military base in Okinawa.

Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama, meanwhile, defended his government's decision the previous day to postpone a decision on the relocation issue until next year, saying that he could find no better way to handle the situation when considering the realities in Okinawa.

The relocation of the U.S. Marines' Futemma Air Station elsewhere in Okinawa, which hosts the bulk of U.S. military facilities in the country, is a key part of the broad agreement on the U.S. military realignment in Japan, along with the transfer of about 8,000 Marines from the southern island to the U.S. territory of Guam by 2014. The whole plan is known as the "road map."

Washington has expressed concern that any delay in implementing the existing relocation plan would affect the entire road map, in part because the planned Marine transfer to Guam is contingent on the completion of a new airfield to be built in Okinawa to replace Futemma.

"The government takes the stance that it will not seek to change the current road map on the U.S. military," Hirano said at a news conference. "But on the issue of bases in Okinawa," he said, "the three parties (forming Hatoyama's coalition government) should be thinking in a forward-looking manner."

He then suggested that a modification could be made to the road map, saying, "There could be some variations in future negotiations between Japan and the United States."

In the United States on Tuesday, Gen. James Conway, the commandant of the Marine Corps, called Japan's postponement "unfortunate," saying that any delay on the decision is likely to lead to missing the 2014 deadline on plans in the 2006 agreement.

In response to Conway's remarks, Hatoyama said that while the Marines may not be happy with the turn of events, the Japanese government has its own policy and that "there is no better conclusion than this if you think about the current situation in Okinawa."

Tokyo will try to "seek understanding (from Washington) in the course of negotiations," he added.

Hatoyama said Tuesday that he will seek a new relocation site for the Futemma base other than the one agreed on between Japan and the United States in 2006, adding that he would need "several months" to reach a conclusion on the issue.

Hatoyama's Democratic Party of Japan forms a coalition government with the People's New Party and the Social Democratic Party, whose votes it needs to pass bills in the House of Councillors.

The SDP advocates moving the Futemma base outside the southernmost prefecture or abroad to lighten the burdens on the people of Okinawa.

Self-Determination Legislation - Opportunity for US Administered Territories?

Self-Determination Legislation - Opportunity for US Administered Territories?

An OTR Editorial

Now that legislation authorizing United States (US) assistance to three territories under its administration has been adopted by the full US House of Representatives (H.R. 3940), the next phase of the process is crucial. The measure, originally introduced by Guam Delegate to Congress Madeleine Z. Bordallo, has now been forwarded to the US Senate for consideration. Delegate Bordallo should be commended for having done her job well in guiding the legislation through the US House.

The original legislation was amended during the House vetting process to include the territories of American Samoa and the US Virgin Islands, as the original bill was specific to Guam. The revised text has also been strategically re-casted to amend a decades-old 1980 US law (P.L. 96-597) meant to "authorize appropriations for certain insular areas of the United States, and for other purposes." This would appear to heighten the opportunity that some dedicated resources would be attached to the measure, although the Congressional Budget Office estimate of $2 million over the period 2010 - 2014 appears rather paltry for one territory, let alone three such jurisdictions. The resources provided must be commensurate with the importance of the initiative as a significant contribution to the long-delayed process of self-determination. Otherwise, it would be mere window-dressing.

In the 7th December 2009 House of Representatives report interpreting the legislation (H.R. Report 111-357), it was emphasised that the political education programme envisaged in the bill would be based on political status alternatives "including, but not limited to" the internationally-recognised options of (US) "statehood, free association (and) independence," along with "maintaining the status quo." The first three alternatives were confirmed by the White House in two White House Reports in 2005 and 2007, respectively, as the “permanent” political status for options for Puerto Rico, and by extension for the other four US-administered territories.

The “not limited to” reference in the House report, however, is problematic as it implies the legitimacy of other options not providing for political equality, and inconsistent with democratic governance. The 1993 political status referendum in the US Virgin Islands is an example where an excessive total of seven options was put before the voters in referendum. These included no less than three different versions of the status quo, in addition to the three permanent options and one autonomous model. Not surprisingly, there was no conclusive referendum result as confusion reigned during the public education process over minute details between virtually indistinguishable dependency options. The options of political equality got “lost in the wash.” Political status for that territory has been considered only intermittently since then, and mostly in unofficial circles. This present Congressional legislation may force the issue to be revisited in earnest.

Such a proliferation of political status choices should be assiduously avoided through the provision of a less complicated process with a clearer and less complicated array of political alternatives. In this regard, the three permanent political status options identified by the White House, with an option for the temporary continuation of the status quo, would be the best approach. This should be done by informing the people of the territory concerned what they should have been advised of all along - that the status quo is not a permanent form of democratic government, nor was it ever meant to be so. Thus, if the people choose to remain as a dependent territory, they should have to be consulted again - sooner or later until they arrive at a permanent solution.

There is a precedent for this enlightened approach – it is the 2009 legislation on the self-determination of Puerto Rico which recognises the primacy of the three options consistent with international law. The legislative measure for Puerto Rico was approved by the US House of Representatives last June, and is also under consideration by the Senate. The Puerto Rico bill provides that the electorate be consulted again (as many times as it takes) if the dependent status of commonwealth is chosen in a referendum, since a permanent status would not have been achieved. The legislation for the other three territories presently has no such requirement. It is clearly understood in most political circles in Puerto Rico – even amongst those who support the status quo - that there are inherent democratic deficiencies in the territorial status which need to be corrected through “enhancements.”

The same democratic deficiencies apply to the territorial status of the other three US – administered territories, as well ( in addition to the Northern Mariana Islands), even as this may not be as readily recognised in these other territories. Thus, it should be made clear in the US Senate that the legislation for American Samoa, Guam and the US Virgin Islands refers to the same options of political equality as those offered to Puerto Rico - along with the possibility to temporarily retain the status quo, with the same stipulation that the territories would be periodically consulted until a permanent status is chosen. In fact, the distinction between temporary and permanent options should form an integral part of any public education process in the territories concerned, especially as the status quo itself is not stagnant, but rather allows for erosion of the limited autonomy of the territorial government at any time through unilateral decisions and applicability of legislation. The Northern Mariana Islands is a clear example of how such unilateral applicability of US law has begun to erode their erstwhile autonomous arrangement. The entire political arrangement should be the subject of formal review and reconsideration.

In some territories, the discussion on political evolution has already begun prior to this US legislation. The Governor of American Samoa initiated a promising political status and constitutional development process utilising local resources. That was before the tsunami earlier this year. Understandably, all efforts in that territory are now directed to reconstruction following the disaster, and the issue of political evolution is scheduled to be revisited in 2010. This timetable places the American Samoa process within the framework of the legislation being considered by the US Senate.

In the US Virgin Islands, an elected constitutional convention adopted an ambitious draft constitution last May for consideration by the US Congress which would test the limited parameters of the status quo dependency arrangement as a first step in resuming focus on political and constitutional development after over a decade and a half of dormancy. Whether the draft constitution would formally be considered by Washington, however, remains to be determined by the territorial court which has yet to rule on whether the document will be transmitted to the US Congress over the objection of the current elected governor who has held back the document based on certain provisions within it. Chances are that a US Congressional analysis of the draft constitution could determine that the additional powers sought for the territory contained in the document could only be realised in one of the permanent options – thus, the process could comes full circle, squarely back into the realm of the fundamental need to address the political status question – as one scholar has written, “decolonisation rather than colonial reform.”

The role of civil society in all of this continues to be crucial. Organisations in the US Virgin Islands such as the United Nations Association of the Virgin Islands (UNAVI) have been active for over a decade in providing information on the importance of a legitimate process of self-determination. Non-governmental organisations in Guam have taken a sustained approach over the years through organisations such as the Chamoru Nashion, and the Organisation of Peoples for Indigenous Rights (OPIR), among others. American Samoa’s Political Status Commission did especially important work on political alternatives several years ago, and this should serve as an excellent point of departure as the legislation in Congress shifts to the US Senate. In Puerto Rico, the political parties and the Bar Association, among others, have historically taken the lead in advocacy on the issue.

The introduction of the Bordallo legislation, therefore, was an important step in ‘jump-starting’ the process of self-determination in all of these territories, and has the promise of reviving serious deliberations among the people on their political evolution. Meanwhile, in the territories, media attention to the measure has been uneven. Other than in Guam, the media in the other two territories covered by the bill has been curiously and conspicuously silent as to the very existence of the legislation, and OTR is not aware of any official statements emanating from these territorial capitols on the legislation with the notable exception of Guam whose governor testified before the US Congress in Washington in favour of the measure.

With the appropriate clarifications to the legislation, including the correction of re-focusing on the permanent options, along with a realistic amount of resources for the three territories to wage a serious public campaign, a process of self-determination can yet be realised. The Obama Administration could very well be the first US administration since these territories were acquired at the end of the 19th century and into the 20th century to foster a genuine process of self-determination for the peoples of these territories, and the first to seriously implement its international obligations under the United Nations Charter to bring genuine self-government and full political equality to the territories under its administration.

Futenma decision shelved till 2010

Futenma decision shelved till 2010

Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2009
By JUN HONGO and ALEX MARTIN
Staff writers

Hatoyama hopes SDP stays in bloc through spring

The Democratic Party of Japan-led ruling coalition said Tuesday it will put off resolving the relocation of U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma until next year, effectively prolonging an issue that has raised tension between Tokyo and Washington as well as within the ruling coalition.

The decision, which Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama called "the government's position," puts forward that the DPJ, the Social Democratic Party and Kokumin Shinto (People's New Party) will maintain their trilateral discussions and continue seeking an appropriate relocation site for the base.

The government will set up a new committee to study the issue but will also allocate funds in the fiscal 2010 budget for the Futenma relocation without a finalized site.

According to government sources, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirofumi Hirano proposed during a tripartite meeting in the morning that a decision on Futenma be made by May. Usually the budget clears Diet deliberations by that month after submission in January.

But SDP chief Mizuho Fukushima insisted that the government avoid setting a specific deadline, the sources said, adding that Hirano eventually backed down.

"The three parties confirmed plans to cooperate in handling the issue," Hirano told reporters after the agreement was reached at a ministerial committee meeting.

He avoided providing any details, saying the government is in negotiations with the United States.

Later in the day, Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada informed U.S. Ambassador John Roos of the government's decision.

Asked if the development effectively nullifies past accords with the U.S., Defense Minister Toshimi Kitazawa said that "is a possibility."

Japan and the U.S. agreed in 2006 to relocate the Futenma airfield to Henoko near Nago in the northern part of Okinawa Island by 2014. But the pacifist SDP, which formed a coalition with the DPJ in September, has pressured the government to get tougher and rethink the deal.

Tuesday's decision by the three parties leaves a thorn in the government's side but for the time being stabilizes the foundation of the coalition. Heading into January's ordinary Diet session without a majority in the Upper House, the DPJ must preserve its ties with the SDP and Kokumin Shinto to pass crucial bills, including the 2010 budget.

SDP President Fukushima indicated to party executives earlier this month that her party would part ways with the coalition if the base is built at Henoko as agreed.

On Tuesday, Fukushima told reporters she was glad talks on the relocation were extended without a time limit.

"The issue is deeply related to the peace in Japan and the people of Okinawa. Building a base on the coast of Henoko also works against the (local) environment," she said, denying reports that she opposed laying down a time frame despite the DPJ being eager to resolve the issue by May.

"I did not make such request. That is a false report," Fukushima said, but she added it would have been unnecessary for Japan to set a deadline to resolve the matter.

Washington has remained unyielding on the 2006 accord, pressuring Hatoyama to make a quick decision and carry out plans already worked out. U.S. officials have called the 2006 accord "the only feasible measure," while expectations were high after Hatoyama asked President Barack Obama to "trust" him on the issue during their summit in Tokyo last month.

Tuesday's move is likely to irk the U.S. further.

"When the government's position is decided, we will obviously work hard to realize it during our negotiations with the U.S.," Hatoyama said Tuesday.

Decision delay

Kyodo News

On relocating the U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma in Okinawa, Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama's government said Tuesday it will:

• Put off naming a relocation site until next year.

• Set the deadline for reaching a conclusion among the three ruling parties.

• Launch working-level talks among the three parties.

• Consider a new relocation plan as well as the existing agreement to move the base to Camp Schwab.

• Earmark funds in the fiscal 2010 budget for relocation projects based on the existing plan, including an environmental assessment of the waters off Camp Schwab.

Yomitan residents want soldier accused of hit-and-run turned over Japan protesters seek SOFA change

Yomitan residents want soldier accused of hit-and-run turned over Japan protesters seek SOFA change

By Chiyomi Sumida, Stars and Stripes
Pacific edition, Wednesday, December 16, 2009

CAMP FOSTER — Yomitan residents rallied Sunday, demanding a U.S. soldier suspected in a fatal hit-and-run be turned over to Japanese authorities immediately.

Rally organizers claim about 1,500 residents gathered near Torii Station, urging both governments to expedite the investigation of the accident and to change the status of forces agreement.

The body of a 66-year-old Yomitan man was found Nov. 7 in bushes by the side of a village road. Three days later, a 27-year-old staff sergeant assigned to Torii Station was identified as the driver of a car that police suspect hit the man.

The soldier, however, refused questioning by Okinawa police after three sessions, claiming that a statement he gave them during an initial question was mistranslated.

"The service-member has fled into the military base, taking advantage of the status of forces agreement," said a protest resolution that was to be submitted to the Tokyo government.

The resolution called for a change in the SOFA, which allows for the U.S. military to retain custody prior to indictment of any service-member not arrested by Japanese police off base. The soldier, who lives in Yomitan, has been restricted to Torii Station pending the outcome of the investigation into the incident.

"While the suspect has been long identified, why don’t police ask for his custody?" Yomitan Mayor Keizo Yasuda, an organizer of the rally, said Sunday. Sunday’s protest continues Okinawa officials’ push to have the soldier turned over to Japan prior to indictment. The Okinawa Prefectural Assembly passed a nonbinding resolution Dec. 6 advocating such a move.

Yasuda said he plans to visit U.S. Forces Japan headquarters at Yokota Air Base, the U.S. Embassy and Japanese government agencies in Tokyo next week.

Under the agreement, Japan is required to formally inform the military of the crime. After making the notification, Japan has 20 days to press charges, after which they can take custody of a suspect. As of Monday evening, no charges had been filed. Japanese police have said the soldier’s refusal to be questioned has slowed its investigation.

After a spate of high-profile crimes on Okinawa in 1995, the two countries agreed that the U.S. may consider early transfer of suspects in the case of heinous crimes, such as murder, rape or arson.

The soldier’s defense attorney, Toshimitsu Takaesu, said Monday he believed the 1995 "gentlemen’s agreement" would not apply to his client because he’d likely be charged with vehicular manslaughter, which isn’t considered a heinous crime.

Chronology of key events related to U.S. Marines' facility in Okinawa

Chronology of key events related to U.S. Marines' facility in Okinawa

Dec 14 10:05 PM US/Eastern

TOKYO, Dec. 15 (AP) - (Kyodo) — The following is a chronology of major events related to the issue of relocating the U.S. Marine Corps' Futemma Air Station in Ginowan, Okinawa Prefecture.

Sept. 1995 -- A local schoolgirl is gang-raped by three U.S. servicemen on the island of Okinawa, fueling anger among local residents opposed to U.S. military bases.

April 1996 -- Japan and the United States agree that the Futemma base be returned within five to seven years.

Dec. 1996 -- In the final report issued by a bilateral special action committee, the two countries agree that a heliport be built off the island's east coast to move Futemma's heliport functions there. Waters off the Henoko area near the U.S. Marine Corps' Camp Schwab in Nago are considered as a possible relocation site.

Dec. 1999 -- The government endorses a plan to relocate Futemma to a facility to be built on the shores of Henoko.

July 2002 -- The central government agrees with Okinawa Prefecture and other local municipalities on a basic construction plan -- to reclaim land on an atoll reef off Henoko and build a runway on it.

Aug. 2004 -- A Marine helicopter crashes into Okinawa International University in Ginowan, leaving three crew members injured.

Oct. 2005 -- Japan and the United States change plans and agree to build a facility with one runway on the shores of the Marine camp instead of building one off Henoko.

April 2006 -- The central government agrees with the city of Nago to construct two runways in a V-shape formation on the camp's shores.

May 2006 -- Japan and the United States agree on a road map for the realignment of U.S. forces in Japan, featuring the plan to build two runways in a V-shaped configuration on the coastal area of Camp Schwab. The accord also calls for relocating the Futemma base to the new facility by 2014, and to transfer 8,000 Marines to Guam, also by 2014.

Dec. 2006 -- Okinawa Gov. Hirokazu Nakaima takes office and demands that the runways be built further offshore than planned.

July 2008 -- The Democratic Party of Japan unveils "Okinawa Vision in which it seeks to move Futemma's functions out of the prefecture and eventually outside Japan.

2009

Sept. 16 -- DPJ President Yukio Hatoyama takes office, launches a three-party coalition government led by his party.

Sept. 25 -- Hatoyama says his government will aim to move the Futemma facility out of Okinawa.

Oct. 23 -- Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada proposes consolidating the facility into the nearby U.S. Kadena Air Base.

Nov. 8 -- Okinawa residents stage a mass rally to oppose relocating Futemma elsewhere in the prefecture.

Nov. 13 -- Hatoyama and U.S. President Barack Obama agree that their governments will seek to expeditiously reach a conclusion on the relocation issue.

Nov. 17 -- Japan and the United States hold the first meeting of a high-level working group to study the relocation plan.

Dec. 15 -- Japan formulates a policy on the issue after the three coalition parties agree on it.

Gov't sets Futemma policy, puts off naming possible relocation site

Gov't sets Futemma policy, puts off naming possible relocation site

Dec 14 09:39 PM US/Eastern

(AP) - TOKYO, Dec. 15 (Kyodo) — The Japanese government put off a decision Tuesday to pick a possible site for relocating a U.S. military airfield in Okinawa until next year, possibly with an eye to seeking to amend a related accord reached between Japan and the United States in 2006.

Putting the decision on hold is part of the policy Tokyo adopted Tuesday for dealing with the issue of relocating the U.S. Marine Corps' Futemma Air Station and is likely to further frustrate the United States, which has called on Japan to swiftly abide by the existing plan.

No deadline was set for the relocation site to be decided, according to ruling party officials.

But apparently out of consideration to the United States, the Japanese government will earmark expenses related to the existing relocation plan in the fiscal 2010 budget.

The policy, finalized during a meeting of senior officials of the three ruling coalition parties, also includes setting up a working- level consultation body among them to discuss the issue and considering where to relocate the Futemma facility, including the site in Okinawa agreed on in the bilateral agreement.

"We have agreed that the three parties will consider how to reduce the burden of the Futemma facility (imposed on the local residents)," said Tomoko Abe, a Social Democratic Party lawmaker who attended the meeting.

Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama told reporters earlier in the morning that Japan will swiftly convey its policy to the United States once it is decided.

The Futemma relocation issue has emerged as a major sticking point between Japan and the United States since the Democratic Party of Japan launched a coalition government in September with a pledge to move toward reexamining the realignment of U.S. forces in Japan.

As part of the 2006 accord on the realignment, which took years to reach, the heliport functions of the Futemma facility will be relocated to a new facility to be built in a less populated part of Okinawa and 8,000 Marines will be moved from the southern Japanese island to Guam by 2014.

Reducing the potential danger facing residents living near the airfield, which is located in a crowded residential area, has long been an issue in Japan.

While the United States has pressured the new Japanese government to implement the existing accord, expectations have been growing among people in Okinawa that the DPJ will seek to relocate the facility outside of the prefecture in line with its stance prior to the Aug. 30 House of Representatives election.

The risk of losing a tiny coalition partner, the SDP, if the government decides to accept the existing plan, has also apparently made it difficult for Hatoyama to quickly reach a decision on the issue.

Hatoyama is hoping to explain the government policy to U.S. President Barack Obama if and when they converse on the fringes of a meeting of state leaders Friday at the ongoing U.N. climate conference in Copenhagen, according to government sources.

Ties between Japan and the United States have been soured over the relocation issue, with the two countries recently suspending discussions at a high-level working group set up in November to discuss the matter.

PBS features documentary on buildup

PBS features documentary on buildup

By Dionesis Tamondong • Pacific Daily News • December 15, 2009

The military buildup and its impact to the island is the topic of a 25-minute documentary featured on the Public Broadcasting Service.

"The Marines Are Landing" premiered Friday and featured local community leaders, families and military officials talking about the expansion of military facilities and the influx of tens of thousands of people onto Guam.

The American nonprofit TV service is a prominent provider of public programming, with 356 member TV stations in the United States. The documentary can be viewed on the PBS Web site until Dec. 31.

The program starts with retired Marine Col. John Jackson, director of the Joint Guam Program Office, being interviewed about the need for the buildup, which includes the relocation of 8,000 Marines from Okinawa and their 9,000 dependents to Guam.

He talked about the island's strategic importance and how Guam can, if necessary, become a platform to go to war if diplomacy fails.

The video balances the military's need for the buildup with voices from some who oppose it, or at least the way it's being conducted.

Former senator and local activist Hope Cristobal spoke about how she is working to help prevent the buildup, while Speaker Judith Won Pat expressed her frustration over Guam's government having practically no part in decisions related to the buildup.

"We all know that whatever we do or say, it's not going to matter," Won Pat said on the program. "The decision is made in Washington, and we're not brought to the table. We were told that that is a county-to-country level of discussion. That means Japan and the United States -- not us."

The PBS correspondents attended the Barrigada fiesta to get residents' perspectives on the buildup.

One man said he was angry that he carries a U.S. passport, but can't vote for president. But another resident said he looked forward to how the buildup will infuse the local economy.

Other people featured in the video:

# Businessman Jeff Pleadwell, owner of Jeff's Pirates Cove in Talofofo, gave his take on what the buildup will mean for local businesses;

# Simon Sanchez, Consolidated Commission on Utilities chairman, talked about the need for millions of dollars to shore up the power, water and wastewater facilities for the population influx, and that the federal government needs to pay for that; and

# Dededo Mayor Melissa Savares said she looks forward to buildup-related jobs being available to residents but was worried about how Guam's indigenous culture may be overwhelmed by the buildup.

Fitial: Ombudsman shouldn't accommodate 'overstayers'

Fitial: Ombudsman shouldn't accommodate 'overstayers'

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

By Haidee V. Eugenio
Reporter

Gov. Benigno R. Fitial expressed concern yesterday about the Federal Labor Ombudsman's ongoing “accounting” of nonresident workers in the CNMI, saying such process should not be used to allow the continued stay on the islands of foreigners with no legal status to remain here.

“I hope she's not going to accommodate those overstayers,” Fitial told reporters on Capital Hill yesterday afternoon.

Fitial, who authorized the distribution of thousands of “umbrella permits” through the CNMI Department of Labor, also expressed concern about Federal Labor Ombudsman Pamela Brown's authority to conduct the accounting of nonresident workers.

“I'm concerned about the authority; if she has the authority to do what she's trying to do,” Fitial added.

The governor also said that nonresident workers are already “in good hands with the umbrella [permits].”

The Federal Labor Ombudsman's Office started the accounting of nonresident workers in the CNMI at 4pm yesterday. Based on the agency's schedule, alien workers having last names starting with A and B were to report to its offices at the Marina Heights II Building yesterday.

Alien workers are told to bring a copy of their passport or other photo identification when they go to the federal agency's office for the accounting process, which will be held daily until Dec. 29, 2009.

In a notice, the ombudsman said the accounting process is based on Public Law 110-229 or the federalization law, which requires the U.S. Department of the Interior to report to the U.S. Congress the total number of aliens within the Commonwealth.

Dekada Movement counsel Stephen C. Woodruff earlier cautioned alien workers who do not have “umbrella permits” against participating in the “accounting” process.

“There is a very real risk that aliens lacking an umbrella permit who register with the Ombudsman's office could be setting themselves up as targets for deportation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement,” he said in a statement.

CHC autonomy bill

In other news, the governor said he's waiting for comments from different agencies, including the Office of the Attorney General, on a bill providing autonomy to and ensuring accountability by, the Commonwealth Health Center.

House Bill 16-9, which seeks to create a Commonwealth Healthcare Corp., is now on Fitial's desk for action.

On Dec. 3, the House of Representatives approved on a 14-0 vote the Senate amendments to the bill.

The CHC bill, authored by Rep. Heinz S. Hofschneider and House Speaker Arnold I. Palacios, is hailed as “landmark” legislation by lawmakers and officials, including Health Secretary Joseph Kevin Villagomez and Rep. Tina Sablan (Ind-Saipan).

In other news, Fitial said everyone is invited to his inauguration set for Jan. 11, 2010.

Fitial is only the second governor in CNMI history to be re-elected.

When asked whether he would invite Delegate Gregorio Kilili C. Sablan (D-MP) or Assistant Secretary for Insular Affairs Tony Babauta, Fitial said, “Everyone deserves to be invited.”

Land conflict

Land conflict

Tuesday, 15 December 2009 00:42
by Therese Hart | Variety News Staff

Guthertz proposes alternative sites for military use

MOST of the conflicts between Guam and the federal government historically center on land issues as exemplified in the draft environmental impact statement, Sen. Judi Guthertz said yesterday.

In a speech before the Rotary Club of Northern Guam at the Hyatt Regency Guam, Guthertz discussed the military buildup and the possible taking of lands along with Resolution 258, which addresses the land issue.

“All the information we’ve been looking over in the [draft study] tells us that, once again, our limited land on this small island is the root of our difficulties with the federal government,” said Guthertz, chair of the legislative committee on military buildup.

A promise broken is not easily forgotten and retired Maj. Gen. David Bice has yet to respond to Guthertz’s letter regarding his former remarks stating that nonmilitary lands will not be condemned.

When Bice first visited Guam in April 2007 for the initial scoping meetings, he announced that the military would remain within its current land holdings and would not need any additional land for the buildup.

Additional lands

Now, the draft study states that the military wants additional lands including the former Federal Aviation Authority housing area of 680 acres and a large amount of land, either 1,129 or 921 acres in two alternatives, east of the back road to Andersen in the Marbo area.

One alternative involves both private and public lands while the other alternative appears to avoid private land.

“Major General Bice also reassured me personally that condemnation, a.k.a eminent domain, would not be used as an option for acquiring any additional land. Now, the draft EIS declares that it will be obtained by ‘longterm lease or condemnation,’” Guthertz said.

“The general’s assistant, Col. John Jackson, played coy with Ray Gibson about this matter, saying, ‘everything is on the table.’ Several weeks ago, we wrote to General Bice asking for clarification, but there’s been no response to date,” Guthertz said, warning that “the federal government’s power of eminent domain is absolute.”

Alternatives

Guthertz proposed some alternatives that do not require acquisition of additional land and would allow the military to remain within its current footprint.

“What about the former FAA housing area? In my opinion this is merely catering to the military desire to be tidy, filling in a separation gap between the main area at NCTS and South Finegayan,” Guthertz said.

“There is no national security need for that land. Why not merely give them access to a roadway through that area to connect the two base areas, without having to go out onto the main road? In doing so, we can demand that access is finally settled for the Castro family on the northern coast,” she added.

Guthertz said the military could transport the Marines back and forth to Tinian. “The federal government in the covenant, back in 1976, obtained two-thirds of Tinian, 21,000 acres under a longterm lease to be a fallback for our bases further west in the Philippines or Okinawa. Of course, I do not want to second guess the good people of Tinian and the CNMI. This is an option that the military would have to negotiate with them,” said Guthertz.

Wildlife protection

“The military can protect the wildlife at Ritidian while firing out toward the ocean along the north coast of our island. For both the Ritidian and Tarague locations, no one fishes in the Rota channel. The currents are just too rough,” said Guthertz.

Guthertz said the military does not need to take or condemn any more land and can fulfill its national security needs without having another land grab.

“Our only course as a community is to voice as strong an opposition as possible to such land takings. We have to have a united effort to get the military to realize that it will significantly damage or eliminate its welcome mat if they exercise eminent domain,” Guthertz said.

Lack of consultation results in wrong info

Lack of consultation results in wrong info

Tuesday, 15 December 2009 00:40
by Mar-Vic Cagurangan | Variety News Staff

THE draft environmental impact statement contains some inaccurate information about Guam because military planners failed to engage local participation during the assessment process, according to Henry Simpson, president of Guam Racing Federation.

Simpson pointed specifically to the proposed layout of the Marines’ firing range project on Route 15, which marked the Yigo Raceway Park as an “abandoned raceway park.”

“No one even bothered to ask me if it is indeed abandoned. Have they consulted us, they would have found out that the Yigo raceway is not an abandoned facility,” Simpson said.

“I wasn’t aware of this map layout until somebody came up to me and said ‘sorry that you’re going to lose the race park.’ That had me concerned,” he added.

The Navy is seeking to secure undeveloped properties on Route 15, commonly known as “Andy South,” to build a training complex for live and inert munitions practice and that requires safety buffers, known as surface danger zones and special use airspace. The properties are also being eyed as a possible site for aviation training and exercises for landing and takeoffs.

Most of the properties in the target area are part of the Chamorro Ancestral Lands Commission’s inventory. The racing federation is leasing a government property where the race track is situated.

Simpson said the raceway federation is seeking audience with the Navy officials to discuss possible options that include allowing the race track to stay in the area, which is a safe distance away from the firing direction.

“We can be good neighbors. We’re tying to get the military to embrace the race track as a recreation for troops who will come to Guam,” Simpson said.

But the military must propose a relocation site for the race track if it is bent on acquiring the property where the race facility is located, Simpson said.

“If they really need this area, we are willing to move out. But they should come up with a mitigation plan. Unfortunately, no one is talking to us,” Simpson said. “We don’t want this to be an adverse issue with the military but we don’t want them to run us over.”

Japan to decide on relocation policy today

Japan to decide on relocation policy today

Tuesday, 15 December 2009 00:37
Varitey News Staff

TOKYO (AP) — Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama said Monday his government will decide on its policy on the issue of relocating the U.S. Marine Corps Futemma Air Station in Okinawa on Tuesday and convey it to the United States by the end of this month.

"We will hold a meeting of the ministerial committee on basic policies tomorrow, and I'd like to align the three ruling parties then," he told reporters, referring to a meeting of the heads of the three parties comprising his coalition government.

"I'm feeling positively about it (the meeting's outcome) and therefore think we will be able to formulate a government policy on the Futemma relocation issue," he said.

Asked if Tokyo will relay its policy to Washington by the end of this month, the prime minister said, "Of course." But he said he was not sure if he could announce the policy at the same time the government formulates it.

Hatoyama's remarks came after meeting with Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada, Defense Minister Toshimi Kitazawa and Okinawa affairs minister Seiji Maehara at the prime minister's office on Tuesday afternoon to discuss the issue and make final adjustments.

Hatoyama declined to elaborate on what that government policy may be, but indicated it may be different from the existing bilateral deal on the relocation, saying "If it is the same as the original plan, we would not have had trouble from the beginning."

"I have strong feelings about seeking U.S. understanding (of Japan's policy) through negotiations," he added.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirofumi Hirano told a news conference the same day that the government's policy is unlikely to include a concrete option for a relocation site.

Under the 2006 bilateral deal, the Futemma facility will be relocated to a new facility to be built in a less populated part of the southern island, while moving 8,000 Marines from Okinawa to Guam by 2014.

Hatoyama's three-month-old government is reexamining the relocation plan, which is part of a broader agreement on the realignment of U.S. forces in Japan, in line with a three-party agreement to work toward reviewing U.S. military bases in the country.

The Social Democratic Party, one of the two junior partners of Hatoyama's Democratic Party of Japan, has advocated moving the Futemma facility outside of Okinawa or overseas to reduce the burden on the people of Okinawa, which hosts the bulk of U.S. military forces in Japan.

SDP leader Mizuho Fukushima and People's New Party leader Shizuka Kamei, who are also state ministers in Hatoyama's Cabinet, are expected to attend Tuesday's ministerial committee meeting, while Hatoyama said he will not take part in it.

In Monday's news conference, Hirano said that at Tuesday's meeting the leaders of the three parties would "recognize and share" the direction in which the government will proceed on the matter.

In the morning, Hatoyama denied reports that Japan intends to propose talks to discuss a new relocation site for the Marine airfield to the United States by the end of the week, saying, "I haven't thought of making such a proposal."

Governor off to California

Governor off to California

Tuesday, 15 December 2009 00:34
Varitey News Staff

(Adelup)--Governor Felix P. Camacho left Guam yesterday to meet with the Federal Regional Council in San Francisco. While in California, Camacho will also attend the Western Governors’ Association Winter meeting in San Diego.

The regional council’s agenda is expected to include a presentation by the Naval Facilities Engineering Command on the Socioeconomic Impact Assessment Study for Guam. The council is also expected to meet with the governor and his Advisory Consulting Team to discuss issues related to Guam’s preparation efforts for the buildup.

The federal council membership includes regional representatives from the following federal departments and agencies: Agriculture, Education, Energy, Health and Human Services, Housing and Urban Development, Justice, Labor, Interior, Transportation, EPA, and the Social Security Administration.

Following the council meeting on Dec.15, Camacho will attend the governors’ meeting the next day in San Diego, where he will share with members his perspective on climate concerns.

“A lot of what concerns us as island leaders in this region was brought to light during the Micronesian Chief Executives’ Summit,” said Camacho. “This is obviously an issue that affects all of us, and I will take advantage of this opportunity to share our view and secure any assistance that may be available to address our concerns.”

Scarce crowd at DEIS expo

Scarce crowd at DEIS expo

Tuesday, 15 December 2009 00:31
by Jennifer Naylor Gesick | Variety News Staff

THE government-sponsored Natural Resources Expo, which provided a forum for a public review of the draft environmental impact statement at Guam Premier Outlets in Tamuning, failed to draw interest from the public.

The expo, held at the vacant store next to Bestseller Books, sought to highlight and inform the public about the issues and concerns raised by the military impact report but it was a ghost town.

The Variety staff found only five people sitting and standing around the large vacant store space.

Despite the dismal showing all day, as observed by Variety, the Natural Resources Subcommittee of the Governor’s Civilian Military Task Force insisted the forum drew about 150 to 200 people. The figure was based not on a body count, rather by determining how many T-shirts were ultimately passed out by expo staff who were more often than not outside most of the day until the end of the event.

“We had a low turnout, but we hope to build on this,” said Elaina Todd, NOAA coral fellow and assistant coordinator for the expo.

Todd said she really did not think the numbers were low because of lack of interest. She said some people had a hard time finding the forum venue.

The expo took place inside the empty shop formerly occupied by the PC Outlet. At the front of the mall wing, expo organizers had placed large signs and colorful graphics, but most passersby simply ignored the event, according to an employee at the adjacent bookstore.

Even a temporary iceless skating rink setup to benefit habitat for Humanity within the same space failed to lure many interested residents into the expo space.

“The good thing is the people that did come stayed, because they were engaged. It was very interactive, and people were able to ask questions and have a really good dialogue with the presenters,” said Todd.

Some people interviewed by Variety expressed little interest in the military impact study. “They pay people lots of money to worry about it, so I am not going to,” said Janet Miranda, a resident of Chalan Pago.

“There is no point. They gave us an 11,000 page document which we cannot read. There is no point because it is a done deal,” said Filamore Palomo Alcon, owner of Guam Gallery of Art in Chamorro Village.

Todd promised to have a better venue for the next event in January. “This will give people a chance to see what the resource agencies are doing with the [draft study],” said Todd. “We learned from this one.”

She said the next event will have presentations and will be held in a better location.

Navy eyes Lost River for additional water supply

Navy eyes Lost River for additional water supply

Tuesday, 15 December 2009 00:30
by Jude Lizama | Variety News Staff

THE military is considering the possible development of Tolaeyuus River in Santa Rita—also known as the “Lost River” – to provide additional supply to the Navy’s water system during the dry season, according to the draft environmental impact statement.

A U.S. Geological Survey estimated the river could supply 1.7 to 5.6 millions gallons per day during the dry season, but may be “limited by downstream habitat considerations.”

The draft impact study provides a blueprint for the military’s realignment strategy on Guam, outlining all options to address the island’s water infrastructure and near-capacity levels that require alternative approaches for the future.

If the military decides to undertake this river project, the initiative would result in the rehabilitation of the existing cofferdam, dredging of its reservoir area, and installation of a pump station and discharge pipeline to distribute water supply to the existing Fena Reservoir pump station.

In addition to $200 million in upgrades planned for the Guam Waterworks Authority islandwide system for potable water and wastewater, the impact study lists desalination, Fena dredging and the undeveloped river resource as options under consideration.

Desalinization, or desalination, is comprised of several processes that remove excess salt and other minerals from water. It is another longterm alternative defense department planners are strongly considering to meet their projected water needs.

“In the event that the supply from freshwater wells is insufficient,” the impact study states, the desalination process could replace the development of as many as 31 new water wells at the air force base and in Barrigada.

A third option proposed by the study is more comprehensive dredging of Fena lake to increase capacity at the reservoir.

However, the impact statement states additional assessment is required to “address potential obstacles related to mobilizing a dredge over long distances to the project site, which is in a remote location, as well as logistical difficulties in managing dredged material on Guam.”

The military planners’ preferred alternative is the construction of 22 potable water supply wells at Andersen Air Force Base, rehabilitation of existing wells, more comprehensive integration with GWA and the construction of a 5 million gallon water storage tank at Finegayan.

Editorial :: Apathy

Editorial :: Apathy

Tuesday, 15 December 2009 00:17
Marianas Variety

GUAM has been out of the loop since the United States and Japan began planning the relocation of Marines from Okinawa. The community depends on trickles of information that usually come from international wires or the Japanese media. The latest of these shrouded pieces of information has to do with the possibility of transferring the entire Marine Corp in Futenma Station to Guam.

During a courtesy call with Camacho in Adelup, Japanese Minister of Defense Toshimi Kitazawa confirmed that a proposal to shut down Futenma and move all U.S. military installations to Guam had been presented as an option but no solid decision has been reached.

Guam is a tiny island and the possibility of 20,000 more troops, plus their dependents, moving into our small and generally quiet community is beyond imaginable. We are not talking about the landmass issue; we are talking about the very limited capacity for a population overgrowth.

In one of the rare instances in which he actually took a position on a critical issue, the typically neutral governor indicated he would oppose any relocation plan bigger than what was originally planned.

As Camacho clearly pointed out during his meeting with Kitazawa, “We are already challenged with the present numbers of the relocation of 8,000 Marines, and moving the entire Futenma base would not be possible due to our limited resources.”

We can’t dispute that argument, which even Kitazawa agreed with. Economists and social scientists agree that every community’s capacity for growth has its own bounds.

Those who have interests in the military expansion—which includes the government and the business community—happily sought the deployment of 8,000 Marines to Guam.

For Guam, the deepening deadlock in the negotiations between the United States and Japan is cliffhanger that leaves us wondering what’s in store for us.

What is even more unfortunate is the apparent apathy and resignation the community has thus far exhibited. Most people fence-sit, without even bothering to read—or at least try to do so—the draft environmental impact statement and assess how the military buildup would affect the quality of life on Guam.

On Saturday, the Bureau of Plans and Statistics hosted the Natural Resources Expo at the GPO to offer information and provide a venue for the public to express their concerns. Not even 10 people showed up, prompting organizers to halt the event an hour earlier.

One person interviewed by Variety expressed an utter lack of interest, saying “They pay people lots of money to worry about it, so I am not going to.”

Another person said, “They gave us an 11,000-page document which we cannot read; so there is no point because the military buildup is a done deal.”

Apparently, many in the community have resigned themselves to the notion that Guam is nothing but a mere pawn in a game between powerful governments. But by refusing to participate in charting our fate, we are turning such presumption into a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Guam News Factor - December 14, 2009

High Hospital Salaries In Question At Guam Memorial
Are high hospital salaries partly to blame for supply shortages at Guam Memorial? Do the hospitals highest paid staffers really have the tools they need to do all the work they were hired for? Perhaps its time to review whether staff pay reflects the services GMH is capable ofand use excess pay to catch up on overdue drug bills.

Japan Prime Minister Turns Down Okinawa-Guam Transfer Deal
Japan Prime Minister Hatoyama rejects a US deal to speed the Okinawa-Guam transfer. Concessions on environmental protections at US bases in Okinawa and removing military drills from the prefecture just arent enough. Coalition-government partners still want a Marine Corps air base out of Okinawa. And that could hold up Guams buildup.

Watchdogs Warn Central Bankers Against Guam Remittance Scheme
The Philippine Central Banks stated projections on big remittances from Guams future buildup could be aiding illegal recruiters. The Philippine Daily Inquirer reports watchdogs are warning the national bank that syndicates use the misleading info to entice jobless Filipinos with empty promises of high wages.

Will Student Aid Shortfall Hurt Guam?
The federal governments need-based Pell Grant fund for college students: short 18 billion dollars. Enrollment spikes fueled by a demand for qualifications in a job-starved economy and new lax regs on qualifications may be causes. The Factor still awaiting word on how this might affect University of Guam students.

Guthertz Says There Are Alternatives to Condemnation For Buildup

Guthertz Says There Are Alternatives to Condemnation For Buildup

Monday, 14 December 2009

Guam - Senator Judi Guthertz argues that there are alternatives to condemnation for the military if it needs more land for the buildup.

Guthertz is the Chairperson of the Legislature's Committee on the Guam Military Buildup.

In remarks before the Rotary Club of Northern Guam, she said that when Major General David Bice first visited Guam he said the military would remain within its current land holdings and would not need any additional land for the buildup and assured her that condemnation would not be used.

"Now," Guthertz said, "the draft Environmental Impact Statement declares that the military wants additional land – the Former FAA Housing area of 680 acres and a large amount of land, either 1,129 or 921 acres in two alternatives, east of the back road to Andersen in the Marbo area." And, she said "the draft EIS declares that it will be obtained by “long term lease or condemnation.”

Guthertz says she has written Bice asking for clarification, but she has not received a response.

"So, we are faced with the deplorable threat" said Guthertz, "of the military rushing to judgment that it needs to acquire more than 2,000 acres of additional land."

As alternatives, Guthertz proposes:

Tinian, Tarague Beach, the land area now used by Fish & Wildlife at Ritidian or the Nimitz Golf Course acreage.

Guthertz said "these locations could be used in combination with each other. For example, a third of the range could be at Ritidian, a third at Tarague, and a third at Nimitz."

And she concluded that: "The military does not need to take or condemn any more land from the long-suffering people of Guam. The military can fulfill its national security needs without having another land grab."

Written by : Kevin Kerrigan

U.S., Japan have Open Skies agreement

U.S., Japan have Open Skies agreement

By Bernice Santiago • Pacific Daily News • December 14, 2009

The United States and Japan reached an Open Skies aviation agreement on Friday, according to a release from the U.S. Department of Transportation.

The new agreement allows airlines from both countries to set routes and destinations without being limited by the number of carriers or flights that can operate between Japan and the U.S. The treaty also removes restrictions on capacity and pricing for those countries.

"Achieving Open Skies with Japan, a major U.S. transportation and trade partner, has been a long-standing U.S. goal and is good news for air travelers and businesses on both sides of the Pacific," U.S. Secretary of Transportation Secretary LaHood said in the release.

"Once this agreement takes effect, American and Japanese consumers, airlines and economies will enjoy the benefits of competitive pricing and more convenient service," LaHood said.

The United States currently has Open Skies treaties with more than 90 countries, according to AP News.

Continental Airlines and Continental Micronesia applauded the agreement, the carrier said in a release.

The recent agreement will allow the U.S. industry guaranteed access to Tokyo's Haneda airport, Continental states. The airport has been closed to U.S. carriers for more than 30 years. The carriers are confident that the treaty will allow them a fair opportunity to compete in major markets between the two countries, the release states.

Continental said the agreement would result in a broader choice of airline flights, itineraries and fares for U.S. airline customers and shippers.

"We deeply appreciate the leadership of Secretary of State Clinton and Secretary of Transportation LaHood in this process," said Continental Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Larry Kellner.

"Both the U.S. and Japan negotiating teams deserve credit for achieving this break-through agreement, which will re-define air travel between the two countries for years to come," Kellner said.

The treaty allows for the possibility of far-reaching alliances among the U.S. and Japan's major airlines, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Such alliances would first depend on Japan's major airlines winning antitrust approval, before formalizing joint ventures with large U.S. carriers, the Wall Street Journal said.

Continental, which has recently become a member of the Star Alliance, provides service to Japan in conjunction with Star Alliance partners United Airlines and All Nippon Airways.

Continental is discussing increased cooperation with United and ANA on trans-Pacific routes. The cooperation would be facilitated by the Open Skies agreement, the Continental release stated.

ANA, Japan's No. 2 carrier, is likely to quickly seek antitrust approval for the proposed joint venture with United and Continental, the Wall Street Journal states. United Airlines also declared that it will seek antitrust immunity, according to AP News. Meanwhile, Delta Air Lines and American Air Lines are vying for a partnership with Japan Airlines, the country's largest carrier, AP News states.

Japan PM still mulling Futenma move Hatoyama ‘not there yet’ on relocation; U.S. growing impatient with delay

Japan PM still mulling Futenma move Hatoyama ‘not there yet’ on relocation; U.S. growing impatient with delay

By David Allen, Stars and Stripes
Pacific edition, Monday, November 14, 2009

YOMITAN, Okinawa — While U.S. officials are eager for Japan to accept a 2006 agreement to move Marine Corps air operations on Okinawa, Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama indicated late Friday that his country is still studying the agreement and possible options.

Hatoyama told reporters in Tokyo that the government must be careful in its review of the 2006 Roadmap to Realignment, and it could be a while before it formulates its own policy on the issue.

After a closed-door session with the heads of the two junior parties of the ruling coalition, Hatoyama said it "would be easy if we could just say, ‘Let’s move on with the plan.’"

"But we’re not there yet," he said, according to a transcript of the briefing. "It is obvious we are not in such a situation. As the new government of Japan, we are in the middle of searching for a way — while giving consideration to the feelings of the people of Okinawa — to find a course that is acceptable to the United States."

Hatoyama said he would announce his policy on the Futenma relocation "in the not too distant future," adding that "we need some time before we can win understanding from the United States."

The U.S. and Japan signed an agreement in May 2006 to realign U.S. forces throughout Japan, particularly on Okinawa, which is host to 75 percent of U.S. base land in Japan and almost half the 47,000 troops here.

The agreement calls for moving Marine air operations to a new air station to be built in rural northeast Okinawa, on Camp Schwab and reclaimed land in Oura Bay. Once that is completed, the U.S. would close Marine Corps Air Station Futenma and several other bases in urban southern Okinawa and transfer more than 8,000 Marines and their families to Guam, by the end of 2014.

But Hatoyama’s center-left Democratic Party of Japan has called for a review of the Camp Schwab plan. Prior to being swept into power in August, the party called for moving Futenma operations to somewhere other than Okinawa, if not outside Japan.

The U.S. contends the Futenma Relocation plan is the only viable option, that it’s the key to the entire realignment agreement and that failure to move forward could leave Futenma open indefinitely.

Meanwhile, an Okinawan member of Japan’s House of Representatives said he was told by U.S. officials in Washington that the U.S. is becoming impatient.

In Washington on Friday, according to reports in several Japanese newspapers, Mikio Shimoji, an Okinawan member of the Diet and the chief policymaker for the New People’s Party, a junior member of the ruling coalition, said he met with Kurt Campbell, Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, concerning the Futenma issue.

He said Campbell warned that if Japan does not decide on the Futenma Relocation plan soon, funds allocated for construction on Guam for the transfer of the Marines might be redirected to other projects, according to Kyodo News.

Shimoji, an opponent of the Camp Schwab project, responded that "things are not that easy," the news agency reported.

An aide traveling with Shimoji told reporters that Campbell appeared to "sweeten the deal" concerning Camp Schwab by offering to move some Marine helicopter training to Camp Fuji, near Tokyo.

McCain calls Garapan market project 'awful'

McCain calls Garapan market project 'awful'

7 CNMI projects worth $1.35M in US House appropriation

By Haidee V. Eugenio
Reporter

Delegate Gregorio Kilili C. Sablan (D-MP) expressed disappointment that former Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain described as “awful” his proposed $200,000 earmark for the design and construction of the Garapan public market project.

“I worked hard to get $200,000 in seed money for Garapan Public Market into this year's appropriations and I will keep working to make sure Republicans in Washington don't kill the project,” said Sablan in his latest weekly e-newsletter.

McCain took to the U.S. Senate floor on Dec. 10 and attacked Sablan's $200,000 earmark for the Garapan public market project on Saipan.

Sablan said McCain promised that “we will be hearing a lot more about it [the project].”

“I hope not. The Garapan Public Market is a project that will give our farmers and fishermen and craftspeople a place to sell their goods. And it will give tourists to the Marianas a new attraction where they can enjoy themselves and find gifts to bring home,” Sablan said.

Sablan, at the same time, announced seven CNMI projects totaling $1.35 million that he was able to include in a Conference Report on Fiscal Year 2010 Consolidated Appropriations Act on Dec. 11.

By a vote of 221-202, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the conference report on Thursday.

“Since there has never been a congressman representing our islands, this is the first time we have ever been able to get this kind of targeted funding,” Sablan said.

These projects and the funding approved include the $200,000 for the design and construction of the Garapan public market.

Also on the list are $250,000 for the Public School System's Refaluwasch and Chamorro language programs; $200,000 for the Northern Marianas Trade Institute for vocational and technical training; and $180,000 for the Micronesian Legal Services' Rota and Tinian outreach programs.

Completing the list are $200,000 for the Joeten-Kiyu Public Library's roof repairs; $220,000 for the Division of Fish and Wildlife's educational programs on marine sanctuaries; and $100,000 for the PSS purchase of library books and educational materials.

The U.S. Senate is expected to approve the conference report in the next few days and send it to President Obama for his signature.

Navy outlines plans for base in Guam

Navy outlines plans for base in Guam

By Gidget Fuentes - Staff writer
Posted : Sunday Dec 13, 2009 9:07:21 EST

8,600 Marines to come from Okinawa

Navy officials have outlined their plans to build a Marine Corps base in Guam and expeditionary field training sites on the nearby island of Tinian, measures meant to support the relocation of 8,600 Marines from Okinawa beginning in 2014.

A draft environmental impact statement released in November provides the first detailed look at how a military buildup in the archipelago would work. The final EIS should be complete by summer.

In addition to the 8,600 Marines, 9,000 family members and about 1,800 Defense Department civilian workers would make the move, which is expected to be complete by 2020. The Corps’ biggest project will be construction of a new base covering 2,500 acres. It would include headquarters offices, unit spaces and supply warehouses, as well as barracks, family housing and day care. Officials have studied eight locations in the island’s northern area, not far from Andersen Air Force Base.

Those facilities would support about a brigade’s worth of troops composing a Marine air-ground task force, to include combat elements from III Marine Expeditionary Force, 3rd Marine Division, 3rd Marine Logistics Group and 1st Marine Aircraft Wing. To accommodate all those troops, training areas south of Andersen would expand.

Plans call for the construction of a convoy course, an urban-combat facility and additional live-fire small-arms ranges. The Corps also plans to add drop zones for parachuting, landing zones for helicopters, and facilities along the waterfront that can support amphibious vehicles, assault craft and small boats. Aviation structures would be put at the Air Force base.

Officials want to provide individual and small-unit training for the Marines based on Guam, meaning they would need facilities for rifle qualifications, combat-swim quals, gas-chamber training and other requisites. They’re looking at adding various simulators as well.

Marines also would get to train on Tinian, a small island about 100 miles north of Guam. The U.S. leases land on about two-thirds of the island and uses it now for company-level non-live fire training.

Military officials want to build several live-fire ranges there to support even more company-level field training. Doing so “provides reliable access and maximum opportunity to realistically train with their weapons and equipment while minimizing time lost when traveling to training locations,” according to the environmental report.

The Corps does not intend to build permanent facilities on Tinian. Instead, officials are designing the ranges to be expeditionary, meaning portable toilets and solar-powered systems likely would be used.

Neither Tinian nor Guam would be able to support the types of large-scale training that the Corps’ bigger bases can. Marines based there would have to travel to other sites that allow them to complete core competencies such as Mojave Viper pre-deployment exercises. Although the proposed Military Operations in Urban Terrain facility likely would serve an entire battalion, companies and platoons would use it in round-robin fashion as they do at other MOUTs.

The 2010 Quadrennial Defense Review is expected to address whether additional training facilities that can support larger Marine units are needed in the Pacific.

Military officials plan to hold six public hearings on the proposals Jan. 7-15 in Guam, Tinian and Saipan. Comments on the proposal also can be submitted online at www.guambuildupeis.usuntil Feb. 17.
The numbers

• The planned move of 8,600 Marines from Okinawa to Guam is expected to cost $13 billion by the time it is complete in 2020.

• The Japanese government would provide up to $6 billion as part of cost-sharing agreement.

• Guam’s current population is 178,000.

• The U.S. military footprint there now is about 15,000.

• By 2020 it’s expected to be 39,000.
Other changes

Apart from the influx of Marines, additional projects in Guam may include:

• The addition of 600 soldiers to establish an Army Air and Missile Defense Task Force.

• Expanded port operations in Apra Harbor to support a transiting nuclear-powered aircraft carrier.

Japan gets ultimatum

Japan gets ultimatum

Monday, 14 December 2009 02:59
by Romeo Carlos | Variety News Staff

US wants Japanese government to decide by Friday

THE United States has given Japan until the end of this week to decide whether or not it will implement the 2006 pact involving the relocation of U.S. marines in Okinawa, saying the 2011 budget allocation for the transfer plan is at stake, Yomiuri Shimbun reported.

U.S. officials are taking a hardline suggesting allocations planned for the transfer of the Marines might be spent elsewhere in the federal budget if Tokyo failed to comply with a reasonable response by Friday.

It was strongly indicated by the U.S. that Washington would not be able to alleviate the prefecture's burdens as a host of U.S. bases if Tokyo chooses not to accept the current plan.

A policy research committee head for a center-right conservative partner of the new government in Tokyo met to discuss the U.S. Marine Corps' Futenma Air Station in Okinawa prefecture with U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Kurt Campbell and other U.S. officials at the State Department in Washington on Friday.

The relocation of the air base has become a stumbling block in the much-anticipated transfer of 8,000 Marines from Okinawa as part of a massive realignment on Guam.

During a courtesy call with Gov. Felix P. Camacho last week, Japanese defense minister Toshimi Kitazawa confirmed moving the entire Futenma air base to Guam had been presented as an option for consideration.

During his Guam visit, Kitazawa acknowledged that it would be difficult for the island to accommodate more than 8,000 Marines.

“On Guam the government has already begun to prepare for the buildup based on the 2006 plan agreed to by the United States and Japan,” Kitazawa told reporters. “[Relocating Futenma to Guam] is not included in that plan.”

The defense minister recognized his country’s responsibilities in negotiations with the U.S., he said, emphasizing the need to discuss the matter “intensively” with Democratic Party of Japan coalition partners.

In the meantime, amid growing uncertainty and incongruities, Congresswoman Madeleine Bordallo issued a written statement heralding almost $740 million in military project spending the delegate described as “moving from planning to implementation phase” which she claims will “create jobs for our local workforce.”

The military impact study downplays any significant economic contributions to the economy however and cites among the reasons the high levels of foreign workers that will actually get most of the 33,000 jobs the impact report projects will be created.

U.S. urges Futenma decision by Friday

U.S. urges Futenma decision by Friday

Satoshi Ogawa / Yomiuri Shimbun Correspondent

WASHINGTON--The United States urged Japan on Friday to decide by the coming Friday whether it will implement the current plan to relocate the U.S. Marine Corps' Futenma Air Station in Okinawa Prefecture, citing the need to compile its fiscal 2011 budget, a Japanese lawmaker has said.

Mikio Shimoji, the policy research committee head of the People's New Party, a junior partner in the Democratic Party of Japan-led coalition, discussed the Futenma issue with U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Kurt Campbell and other U.S. officials at the State Department in Washington on Friday.

According to Shimoji, the U.S. side indicated that if the Japanese government would not accept the current plan, the U.S. government could not request a budget allocation for the planned transfer of 8,000 U.S. marines based in Okinawa Prefecture to Guam in the budget compilations for fiscal 2011, which cover October 2010 through September 2011.

Shimoji is expected to relay the U.S. stance to Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama after returning to Japan.

During the meeting, the U.S. side reportedly told Shimoji that if Tokyo could not implement the current agreed on plan to relocate the Futenma base in Ginowan to Nago, both in the prefecture, Washington could not implement measures to alleviate the prefecture's burdens as a host of U.S. bases, such as the transfer of U.S. marines to Guam and the returning of the U.S. military facilities in the southern part of the prefecture. Such measures are considered by the U.S. government to be linked to the relocation plan of the base.

If Tokyo chooses not to accept the current plan, the U.S. side said, citing the difficult budget process, the U.S. government would allocate funding originally intended for the transfer of the marines to Guam for other purposes in the fiscal 2011 budget to be compiled in February. Also, Campbell reportedly told Shimoji that he took seriously the fact that Hatoyama had said to U.S. President Barack Obama, "Trust me," at the Japan-U.S. summit meeting in November in Tokyo, emphasizing that Hatoyama had promised to accept the current relocation plan at an early stage.

Hikers worry about site access: Military plans would restrict public from lands

Hikers worry about site access: Military plans would restrict public from lands

By Brett Kelman • Pacific Daily News • December 13, 2009

A series of hikes in January will take anyone who wants to go to five natural sites before they become more difficult, impossible or illegal to visit when the military buildup arrives.

Guam Boonie Stompers President Dave Lotz hopes to take as many people as he can to places such as Pagat Cave before the Department of Defense utilizes these areas. He hopes enamored hikers will join his cause to preserve the access local residents have now.

Pagat Cave is a sinkhole and stone cavern in Yigo filled with cool, waist-deep water and candlelight. Locals and tourists swim in the cave and explore the coast almost every day. An ancient Chamorro village once drew fresh water from the cave, Lotz said. Artifacts pepper the ground.

The military will build a firing range next door.

When the Boonie Stompers hike to Pagat Cave on Jan. 2, some residents might go there for the first time.

Or for the last time.

"Go while you can," Lotz said on Dec. 4. "Obviously we want to garner support for our cause, but realistically we may not prevail. But we are optimistic we will."

The military buildup will bring about 8,000 Marines and their dependents from Okinawa to Guam in the next few years. Air Force and Navy operations will expand as well.

As the military's presence grows, so will its borders.

According to the Draft Environmental Impact Statement released on Nov. 20, the Department of Defense will acquire or transform large portions of land in northern, central and southern Guam for its increased needs.

There are a lot of hiking sites on that land, and the Guam Boonie Stompers want to ensure the public will not lose access to them completely after the Marines arrive, Lotz said.

Three of the hikes -- Pagat Cave, Ague Cove and the Lajuna area -- are on land the public will lose access to, according to the Draft EIS report. Access to Mount Lamlam and other southern mountains won't be restricted significantly, but Lotz isn't taking chances.

"In some of them (restriction) seems quite apparent, in others it's ambiguous," Lotz said. "As we have seen on this island -- and I've been here 40 years -- access is basically at the whims of the base commander."

Balance

The access craved by hikers such as Lotz must be balanced with military needs and public safety, according to an e-mail from Joint Guam Program Office spokesman Capt. Neil Ruggiero.

It is not the military's intent to unnecessarily restrict access, Ruggiero wrote.

Although the preferred plans listed in the Draft EIS state that public access to Pagat Cave, Ague Cove and the Lajuna area would end, Ruggiero wrote that it is premature to assume that all access to these areas will be prohibited. Comments from the public could change plans for the future.

"Comments on the DEIS, to include those on the subject of access, will be analyzed and considered in the development of the Final EIS. Thus, final decisions have not been made at this time, and specific policies regarding public access to military bases and facilities on Guam will be determined by the Joint Region and base commanders," Ruggiero wrote in his e-mail.

Exchange

According to a preliminary statement prepared by the Boonie Stompers, Lotz and his fellow hikers will request the military include specific plans and schedules for continued access to the noteworthy places that could be gobbled up by the buildup.

If a plan for public access isn't spelled out, Lotz worries access could wither over time until it barely exists -- like at Fena Caves.

The caves are the site of a brutal World War II massacre that sits on Navy property in Santa Rita. A small group of mourners are allowed to visit the caves once a year, but the site is otherwise closed to the public.

If access to Pagat Cave and the other sites are going to be restricted in a similar way, the public should get something in return, Lotz said.

The Boonie Stompers will request the military create access to areas including Haputo Beach, Double Reef Beach, Orote Point, Fena Caves and Tarague Beach as an exchange, according to the statement.

Ruggerio did not respond to a question about whether renewed access to these areas was a possibility.

Agencies outline concerns with EIS

Agencies outline concerns with EIS

By Bernice Santiago • Pacific Sunday News • December 13, 2009

The public can work with Government of Guam agencies to review the draft Environmental Impact statement for the military buildup, before the comment period ends on Feb. 17.

The comment period is critical, said Vangie Lujan, administrator for the Guam Coastal Management Program, under the Bureau of Statistics and Plans. When residents submit written comments about their concerns, the Department of Defense is required by law to address them, she said.

Residents are welcome to visit the Guam Coastal Management Program office, on the third floor of the GCIC building, where a print version of the draft EIS is available to the public. GCMP staff can further explain the document itself, and help residents review the key issues that they're concerned with, whether it's road construction or the impact to the coral reefs, Lujan said.

Different local agencies introduced their roles and areas of jurisdiction in reviewing the draft EIS yesterday, during a Natural Resources Expo held at the Guam Premier Outlets. The expo was held by the Natural Resources Subcommittee of the Governor's Civilian Military Task Force, according to a release from the Bureau of Statistics and Plans.

Dave Burdick, biologist from the Guam Coastal Management Program office, discussed the proposed Nuclear Aircraft Carrier deep-draft wharf and turning basin project. The project will affect coral reef in Apra Harbor, and the agency will be looking into both the direct and indirect impacts of the proposed dredging activities.
The office also will review the impact of population growth on Guam's natural resources, Burdick said. The island's population will grow by 79,000 people in 2015, before that number decreases to 33,600 people by 2020. An increase in harvesting and recreational use of natural resources likely will occur, Burdick said.

The office also will study the mitigation efforts proposed by the Department of Defense to replace lost ecosystem function, which is required under the federal Clean Water Act.

Biologist Jeffrey Quitugua said the Department of Agriculture's Division of Aquatics and Wildlife Resources will be looking into land habitat issues for species that DAWR hope to recover or bring back to Guam, such as the kingfisher, the Guam rail, and the Marianas fruit bat, as part of their review of the draft EIS.

The Guam Environmental Protection Agency is reviewing the draft EIS while regulating growing activity from the private sector, as the private sector prepares for the buildup, said Jesse Cruz, environmental monitoring and analytical services administrator. Cruz's section will be reviewing the dredging deep-draft wharf, the terrestrial clearing for construction projects, and other natural resource issues, he said yesterday.

Lujan said another expo will be held in January, where agencies will present a more detailed analysis of the draft EIS to the public, along with their recommendations.
The aim of such outreach events is to develop a dialogue with the public, so that the concerns and comments of local government planners, scientists, and the general public inform each other, Burdick said.

Lack of feedback on military plans worries officials

Lack of feedback on military plans worries officials

By Laura Matthews • Pacific Sunday News • December 13, 2009

Some mayors are concerned that only a handful of residents had shown interest in Department of Defense's draft Environmental Impact Statement since its release.

The draft EIS was released on Nov. 20 for public viewing and contains vital information on how every aspect of life on Guam will change during the military buildup. The draft EIS provides a forum through its comments sheets where the public can voice their concerns over these changes. They have until Feb. 17, 2010, to do so.
"There is about six people who came to actually pick up the CDs and take it home to review. As for the hard copy one person came in and said, 'I don't have all day,' and I said, 'well, if you have a computer I can give you a CD and you can take it home to review it,'" Dededo Mayor Melissa Savares said on Dec. 4.

The mayor said she obtained another hard copy of the document and placed it at the Astumbo Gym for the convenience of the residents, but the effort has been neglected.
"We have given them another opportunity for them to come in the evenings and stay beyond the 5 p.m. until 9 p.m. at the Astumbo Gym, but nobody has come over to the gym," she said. "And the gym is closer to the area that will be most affected, the Route 3 area."

Savares said she wishes people would be more proactive and look at what may affect their neighborhood.

"I am worried about it because there is a lot of concerns and comments that should come up when the residents review it and of course we are going to hear a lot of complaints when they are implemented if nobody makes any comments."
Other mayors have similar concerns.

"This process involves them and these copies are not souvenirs," said Mangilao Mayor Nonito C. Blas.

Blas said as of Dec. 4, only 16 copies of the draft EIS have been given out at his office. He said he still has eight more waiting to be read and estimates that there are more than 20,000 people in his village who need to be aware of the changes about to affect them.

Of the 23,000 residents living in Yigo, only one had visited Mayor Robert Lizama's office to view the document as of Dec. 4.

"This is a process that is afforded to the community of Guam for public opinion and with the absence of the people it could mean that they are contented with what is going to happen," he said.

Some over at the Guam Legislature think otherwise.

One person visited Sen. Judith Guthertz's office at the Guam Legislature to read the copy there.

Bruce Lloyd, writer and researcher for the senators said because few people are reading the hard copy doesn't mean they are not accessing the information on the Internet.

"I am not surprised they are not reading the hard copy. They can get it on the Internet," he said. "I think people are quite interested. It is just a matter of relevance as there are all sorts of reasons they should be interested in this and that is where the media come in, to stimulate them."

Some residents like Tricia Muna from Mangilao said she depends on the newspaper to tell her what is relevant. She said she can only read it if she finds the time.
"I am just too busy and so I read about it in the newspaper. I will read it if I have time," she said. She was surprised to know it was online.

But even on the Internet the numbers are low.

At the Hagåtña Main Library there have been 22 clicks on the document on the library's Web page, according to Tony Leon Guerrero, the library technician.
"We only have one copy and four people came in to read that. But when they call in we direct them to the (Guam Public Library) Web site," Leon Guerrero said.

The Joint Guam Program Office said it does not have access to the number of hits on its Web site, but it is receiving feedback for some residents and off-island parties.
"The site is being visited by both members of the community and interested parties from Hawaii and the mainland," Capt. Neil Ruggiero said via e-mail. "We encourage all interested parties to review the draft EIS and provide comments via the Web site."

PNC :: House Takes Another Step In Process of Approval for $737M In Buildup Spending For Guam

PNC :: House Takes Another Step In Process of Approval for $737M In Buildup Spending For Guam

Saturday, 12 December 2009

Guam - The U.S. House overnight in Washington approved the conference report for a bill that contains $737.6 million dollars in spending for military construction projects on Guam.

The conference report is for H.R. 3288 which is the Consolidated Appropriations Act for 2010. Approval of the conference report nearly completes Congress’s work on appropriations bills for Fiscal Year 2010.

According to a release from Congresswoman Madeleine Bordallo, the measure includes $737,654,000 for Guam in military construction funding for fiscal year 2010. That is the full amount authorized by the Congress in Public Law 111-84, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2010.

The legislation also contains $49 million in Defense Access Roads funding which will be transferred to the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and will help to reduce congestion and chokepoints on several roads and at several intersections on Guam.

There is also $30 million for the construction of a new Guam National Guard Readiness Center which will enable the Guam National Guard to continue to grow and modernize.

And the bill has an additional $259 million for the first phase of construction of a new Naval Hospital in Agana Heights.

The release quotes Congresswoman Bordallo as saying that the approval means that "the military build-up on Guam is now moving from the planning to the implementation phase" and the funding "will bring economic activity and create jobs for our local workforce."

Agencies comment on proposed buildup plans

Agencies comment on proposed buildup plans

Posted: Dec 12, 2009 1:55 PM
Updated: Dec 12, 2009 1:58 PM

by Michele Catahay

Guam - It's clear that various government agencies continue to review the Draft Environmental Impact Statement. In fact, the Natural Resources Subcommittee of the Governor's Civilian Military Task Force conducted a Natural Resources Expo today at the Guam Premier Outlets.

A Natural Resources Expo highlighted issues and concerns when it comes to the DEIS for Guam. The event is one of several planned as part of an effort to educate the public on the issues related to the impacts of Guam's natural resources as a result of the military buildup. Guam Coastal Management Program Administrator Evangeline Lujan says while they're still in the process of reviewing the Draft EIS, she says it's critical to begin educating the public about it.

"Some of the issues we look at are the coral reefs and the impacts to the ecosystem; we look at our terrestrial ecosystem and the habitat that will be lost. We look at invasive species. There's a myriad of things that we are reviewing," she said.

Biologist at the Division of Aquatics and Wildlife Resources at the Department of Agriculture Brent Tibbats says his greatest concern is the impacts on the marine environment and resources. One particular issue is the proposed dredging at Apra Harbor to accommodate a wharf berthing facility.

He said, "Where the dredging is going to be taking place is in areas where fishing occurs, where recreation activity occurs - banana boating, SCUBA diving and where some research activities are going on. We have some marine research going on as well. Some of these areas are going to be directly impacted and will dredged and removed."

He says in addition, the increase in sedimentation is going to greatly impact our coral reefs not only near Apra Harbor, but also areas in the north. "This is going to be one of the largest dredging projects involving coral reefs anywhere in the U.S. It's unavoidable. It's going to be impact. The hope is for us to minimize the amount of impact and maximize the amount of mitigation that is done to compensate Guam for that," Tibbats added.

He says they will also be looking into the impact of runoff from construction or potential fuel chemical spills that could occur as a result of the buildup.

In the meantime, another Government of Guam agency concerned about the increase in construction around the island is the Guam Historic Preservation Office. Historian Tony Ramirez says with plans for construction around the island, cultural resources may diminish. "Our agency covers a lot of areas because we cover 4,000 years of Guam's history and different timelines and these historical timelines are within the federal jurisdictions and also some of the areas that they're thinking of using for the buildup," she said.

Island residents have until February to submit written testimony on the Draft EIS.

House approves conference report

House approves conference report

Posted: Dec 12, 2009 1:41 PM
Updated: Dec 12, 2009 1:41 PM

by Michele Catahay

Guam - The U.S. House of Representatives approved the conference report to H.R. 3288, the Consolidated Appropriations Act for 2010. The passage nearly completes Congress's work on appropriations bills for Fiscal Year 2010. H.R. 3288 appropriates approximately $737 million for Guam in military construction funding for Fiscal Year 2010.

This is the full amount authorized by Congress in Public Law 111-84. It contains $49 million for the first of road investments from the Department of Defense and another $259 million for the first phase of the construction of a new Naval Hospital in Agana Heights. According to Congresswoman Madeleine Bordallo, the funding will bring economic activity and will create jobs for our local workforce.

It also includes $30 million for the construction of a new Guam National Guard Readiness Center and other funding for the University of Guam, Sanctuary, the Guam International Airport and for Guam water utilities.

The Marines Are Landing

10:45 a.m. - Natural resources expo tomorrow to highlight buildup's impact

10:45 a.m. - Natural resources expo tomorrow to highlight buildup's impact

Pacific Daily News • December 11, 2009

The public can find out more about the military's buildup's impact on Guam's natural resources at a Natural Resources Expo conducted tomorrow by the The Natural Rescources Subcommittee of the Governor's Civilian Military Task Force, a press release from the Bureau of Statistics and Plans stated.

The expo will highlight the government of Guam's concerns while reviewing the Draft Environmental Impact Statement, the release stated. Topics will include coral reef and terrestrial ecosystems, cultural and archaeological resources, watershed protection, invasive species, endangered and protected species.

Government agencies and non-governmental organizations will have tables and displays to inform the public, according to the release.

The event will take place at the Guam Premier Outlet tomorrow from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Limited free T-shirts will also be available.

For more information contact Elaina Todd at 475-4468.

CCU: Military will pay its share

CCU: Military will pay its share

Thursday, 10 December 2009 23:40 by Jude Lizama | Variety News Staff

CONSOLIDATED Commission on Utilities commissioner Joseph Duenas said the Guam Power Authority and the Guam Waterworks Authority look forward to generating bigger revenues and expanding their customer base by having the military as a paying customer.

He described as “collaborative” and “fair” the dialogue with military buildup planners with respect to increasing demands and capacities of island utility services and the impact to ratepayers.

“Working with the military we have two sides. There is the power side and then there is the water-wastewater side. The military pays its fair share,” Duenas said. “We reflect the cost back to the ratepayer. Whatever cost to provide a service, we would like that back.”

Because of the buildup plans at the utility agencies will be accelerated to meet the increasing demands expected in the wake of a population explosion that will see up to one-third more new residents over the next few years.

According to Duenas, the military is a “full wholesale customer” with whom local utility commissioners have “reached very good agreements.”

Duenas said CCU is confident it will make some improvements to the system that will address some of their needs which allows GPA to expand its customer base. “In a business, when you get more customers you get more revenue, you get to do more things,” he added.

GWA currently purchases water from the Navy for redistribution in southern communities while in the north, “Andersen [Air Force Base] discharges its sewage into the northern treatment plant already, so we provide a service for them there,” Duenas said.

At present the military and GWA maintain separate water systems by the commissioner sees more integration as the military will “probably become a customer of ours in terms of the wastewater given the relationship we already have with Andersen.”

An important factor for consideration, according to Duenas, is the need to look at the aquifer with a holistic approach. With regard to protecting the northern lens aquifer, Duenas said that GWA and the military are “on the same page.”

“We’re one community. If we damage this aquifer, that’s it; everybody loses,” he said. “The long range plan is that hopefully they become our customer and we maintain all of the wells.”

DEIS healthcare needs projection disputed

DEIS healthcare needs projection disputed

Thursday, 10 December 2009 23:39 by Mar-Vic Cagurangan | Variety News Staff

THE population surge on Guam resulting from the troop buildup will require more medical professionals than the numbers projected by the military in its draft environmental impact statement, according to Peter Sgro, president of the Guam Healthcare Development Foundation.

According to the draft impact study, Guam will need only 15 more doctors and 91 additional nurses to serve the increased population in 2014, the peak year for construction boom.

“That seems much lower than what the healthcare demand of our community would need assuming an increase in population of over 60,000 people,” Sgro said. “As far as the private hospital development is concerned, we are running recruitment and retention numbers based on industry efficiency ratios of 2.5 to 3 employees per hospital bed.”

Sgro said the total number of additional needed employees, including doctors, nurses, technicians, management and administration, would run between 500 and 600, based on a 200-bed capacity hospital and depending on the combination of general and specialty services that will be provided.

Guam Memorial Hospital is the only public hospital that serves the civilian population. The Naval Hospital caters to the military community.

Sgro’s foundation is seeking to build a private hospital that will provide medical specialty care, supplementing the services offered by GMH.

“Manila based developers are responsible for securing the financing for the hospital, securing the investors in the project and purchasing the property where the development will take place,” Sgro said.

Developers Cezar Quimbao, Chairman of the Board of Guam Healthcare Development, Inc. and Jorge Yulo, President of Guam Healthcare Development, Inc., join Sgro in Pittsburgh for a series of meetings to address recruitment matters for the new hospital, design of the new hospital.

“We have recognized for the past two years that one of the biggest challenges in developing a hospital is the ability to staff it with doctors, nurses, technicians and other necessary employees,” Sgro said. “This is why we have continued our recruiting efforts since in the development of any hospital, the recruiting process often begins well in advance of completion of the design phase.”

The foundation continues to build relationships with reputable healthcare systems in an effort to recruit doctors, nurses, technicians and other medical professionals to Guam.

“This process has been ongoing now for the past years with visits to not just the states, but also with healthcare systems in Japan and the Philippines that maintain pools of doctors that are U.S.-board certified,” Sgro said.

“Although the establishment of these relationships in an effort to secure doctors, nurses and other medical professionals is important even without considering the military buildup, the realities of a growing population makes our efforts that much more important,” he added.

Pending in the legislature are two bills that seek to address the shortage of medical professionals on Guam by offering debt-payment incentives to physicians who are practicing off-shore. Under the proposed program, the government would cover the payments of target physicians’ medical student loans. The program would tap the Healthy Futures Fund.

Pangelinan Seeks Return of Naval Easements

Pangelinan Seeks Return of Naval Easements

Guam - Senator Ben Pangelinan has written a letter to Rear Admiral Douglass Biesel requesting the release and return of Navy easements no longer serving their intended purpose.

Several years ago some Navy utility easements, known as Military Utility Telephone-10 Easement (MU-T-10) were transferred to public easement along Route 3 and which subsequently lead to some portions of the easement returned to the government of Guam and are still within the inventory of the Navy. Some of these easements directly affect property owners and has limited the use of their property and expressed it be resolve quickly.

The Senator states, “I believe Route 3 provides adequate space to accommodate any future infrastructure needed for the Navy and as such the release of MU-T-10 should be returned to the government of Guam. The continued retention of these abandoned easements by the military is of great economic hardship to the people of Guam and families it affects. I am requesting quick action on this request so families can utilize their property to its highest and best use.”

Written by :
News Release

Resolution opposes condemning land for buildup

Resolution opposes condemning land for buildup

By Dionesis Tamondong • Pacific Daily News • December 11, 2009

Sen. Judith Guthertz yesterday introduced a legislative resolution declaring the island's strong opposition to the federal government condemning any land for the planned military buildup.

Guthertz, chairwoman of the legislative committee that oversees buildup issues, said she had been assured by retired Maj. Gen. David Bice, Joint Guam Program Office executive director, that land condemnations aren't part of the plan for obtaining more land needed for the buildup.

But, citing media report, she noted that retired Marine Col. John Jackson, director of the JGPO office that is coordinating the buildup, said condemnations are on the table.

The Department of Defense is seeking to acquire at least 2,200 acres of non-federal land for the buildup, according to the Draft Environmental Impact Statement. For example, between 1,100 acres and 1,800 acres along Route 15 in Mangilao and Yigo are needed for the proposed firing range.

A section of the eight-page resolution states: "... the people of Guam demand that the Federal Government renounce any repeat of history and declare that condemnation shall not be a tool available to the federal government, either directly or through the use of intimidation, in relation to the Guam military buildup ...."

In response to the resolution, JGPO spokesman Capt. Neil Ruggerio said the Defense Department is following federal environmental laws and planning processes to determine the best locations for the facilities and ranges necessary for the military realignment.

"The military is also considering feedback collected through discussions with village mayors, government of Guam officials, and the Legislature. Through this process it has been determined that certain facilities, such as training ranges, will not fit on DoD properties without possible negative affects on Guam's citizens," he said in an e-mail.

Futenma talks likely to resume

Futenma talks likely to resume

December 11, 2009

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Discussions between the United States and Japan on the relocation of the Futenma Marine Corps air base may resume as early as next week, according to The Associated Press.

Just days ago, talks between the two countries regarding Futenma had been suspended, with no restart date set.

But now Japan's newly elected Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama said he hopes to meet with President Barack Obama next week to offer his proposals on the relocation of Futenma, the AP reported.

Members of Hatoyama's Cabinet are working to hand over the proposal to Obama on the side of the 192-nation U.N. climate conference in Copenhagen next week, though Hatoyama has not officially asked for a meeting, according to the AP.

The relocation of the Futenma base is just one provision in the bilateral agreement signed between Japan and the United States in 2006, and it's also the most contentious part of the agreement. Obama has granted the Japanese leadership more time to review the agreement, but the U.S. Defense Department says the remainder of the realignment plan cannot move forward until Futenma's replacement facility is finalized, the AP reported.

Washington and Tokyo agreed in 2006 to relocate the base to a site farther north so it poses less of a threat and disturbance to the residents surrounding it. Both governments reaffirmed their commitment to the agreement earlier this year when U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Japan's then- Foreign Minister Hirofumi Nakasone signed the agreement again in February.

However, Hatoyama has responded to the concern of Okinawans who want the base moved off their island entirely, and has expressed his support for moving the base elsewhere, according to the AP.

Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada and Defense Minister Toshimi Kitazawa have said it would be difficult to find a site not on the island, and have suggested honoring the current agreement.

Two possible locations that have been considered thus far are Guam and Iwo To, the former Iwo Jima.

Already officials in Washington have agreed to move about 8,000 Marines from Okinawa to Guam by 2014.

Kitazawa, who was visiting Guam on Wednesday to inspect the site for the proposed transfer of Marines warned that pushing for a plan that deviates from the current agreement would hurt trust between the allies, according to the AP.

"Defense Minister Kitazawa's visit is an important step in the process of carrying out agreements between the U.S. and Japan to realign forces in the Pacific," added acting Assistant Secretary of the Navy Roger Natsuhara, according to a press release issued by the Joint Guam Program Office.

Nearly 50,000 U.S. troops are deployed across Japan under a post-World War II bilateral security pact.

Pacific Daily News reporter Amritha Alladi contributed to this report.

Trench, reefs not enough protection: Guam can be hit by tsunamis as high as 19 feet, research says

Trench, reefs not enough protection: Guam can be hit by tsunamis as high as 19 feet, research says

By Laura Matthews • Pacific Daily News • December 11, 2009

The Mariana Trench and the reefs surrounding Guam aren't enough to protect the island if a tsunami should hit it.

And it could, according to Vasily V. Titov, director of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Center for Tsunami Research.

Titov said an 8.5-magnitude earthquake is enough to trigger tsunami waves as high as 19 feet onshore.

"Samoa has answered that question very well; the reef is not a universal protector," Titov said, dispelling years of beliefs that the island's reef system could block the rushing waters from a tsunami.

This determination was made based on the findings from the NOAA's Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory's research project, which started in 2004, and it was used to create tsunami inundation models for Guam. The researchers used the plate tectonics for Guam and its historical models, among other things, to develop the model. The project was funded by the Pacific Risk Management Ohana.

The full findings will be released before year's end, said Titov, who will leave the island Saturday.

"We can really say where the tsunami is going to be big," Titov said.

So far researchers have developed inundation models for Tumon Bay, Hagåtña, Apra Harbor, Pago Bay and Inarajan.

Should an 8.5 magnitude earthquake shake the island, the Tumon area could get waves as high as 19 feet, while Hagåtña could be washed by waves measuring 15 feet. Meanwhile, waves about 9 feet high could strike Apra Harbor.

The height of the waves will depend on the source of the earthquake. Currently, the researchers are eyeing the Mariana Trench and the Philippine Trench as potential sources.

"That the Mariana Trench can protect you from a tsunami is a misconception. What the trench does is that it straightens the front of the waves and shoots it to the closest coastline," Titov said.

While on the island he will meet with local scientists and technicians to show them how to use the new model, as well as garner more information to support the findings.

Little research exists on tsunami activities on Guam, but some tsunami waves have raced ashore in the past.

According to the data, in 1952 a tsunami generated in the Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia caused little stimulation at Apra Harbor, and again at the same location in 1964 from the Great Alaska earthquake, Titov said.

Chip Guard, the warning coordination meteorologist for the National Weather Service, said the model is a good tool for the island.

"This kind of model will give more specific guidelines that we can work from," Guard said.

Both Titov and Guard said the model must be coupled with public education to make it very effective.

The Marines Are Landing

The Marines Are Landing

Week of 12.11.09

[Streaming video of this program will be available online after broadcast]

Over the next five years, as many as 30,000 servicemembers and their families will descend on the small island of Guam, nearly tripling its presence there.

It's part of a larger agreement that the U.S. signed with Japan to realign American forces in the Pacific, but how will this multi-billion dollar move impact the lives and lifestyle of Guam's nearly 180,000 residents?

This week, NOW on PBS travels to the U.S. territory of Guam to find out whether their environment and infrastructure can support such a large and quick infusion of people, and why the buildup is vital to our national security.

http://www.pbs.org/now/shows/550/

NY Times: New Okinawa-Guam Transfer Plan By Next Week

NY Times: New Okinawa-Guam Transfer Plan By Next Week

Hatoyama Will Present Japan's Buildup Alternatives To Obama During Copenhagen Summit

What Effect The New Ideas Could Have On Guam's Buildup Is Anyone's Guess

Written by Jeff Marchesseault, Guam News Factor Staff Writer
Wednesday, 09 December 2009 22:00

GUAM - If all goes as hoped, President Obama could be reviewing a set of alternative proposals to the 2006 Okinawa-Guam transfer agreement by as early as next week, according to the New York Times:

[Japan Prime Minister Yukio] Hatoyama said he may seek a meeting with Mr. Obama during the climate change conference in Copenhagen to relay the proposals directly to him.

But there is little indication of what's inside the highly secretive package. And there's a lot of doubt about what impact it could possibly have on the current bilateral accord to reduce the civilian burden of hosting American forces in metropolitan Okinawa. But depending on how determined Japan is to nerve this endeavor, it could delay the $15 billion buildup on Guam, now scheduled for 2010-14.

As U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates has stated publicly, there can be no military expansion on Guam without a solid plan to realign American forces within Okinawa. The two undertakings are not mutually exclusive, but inextricably interdependent and intertwined.

In the wake of Gates's and other U.S. Cabinet officials' stick to-the-plan adamance, the Government of Japan is naturally keeping its cards close to the vest and keeping its sights set on dealing only at the highest executive and military levels. On Wednesday, after meeting with Governor Camacho (and with no reported plans to brief the Legislature), Defense Minister Toshimi Kitazawa's remarks to local media during his fact-finding mission on Guam were brief, self-assured and corseted.

Asked whether he thought Guam to be a suitable place to relocate a U.S. air base from Okinawa ostensibly to relieve stress in a crowded part of that prefecture, Kitazawa managed to murmur in lighthearted agreement as he exited Adelup to climb in back of the consul-general's sedan. Then he and his entourage were whisked away to tour Big Navy and Andersen Air Force Base with officials from the Pentagon's Joint Guam Program Office.

Few facts have been made public on the Defense Minister's tour as his premier puts the finishing touches on a much-anticipated presentation to an American president.

A Protracted Moment Of Indecision

Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama has faced the withering confidence and muted wrath of U.S. officials since being elected to power a hundred days ago.

The U.S. and Japan have been at loggerheads over the newly minted Japan government's waffling, uncertainties and contradictions about America's cast-in-iron force realignment objectives in the Pacific. The 2006 agreement to remove a noisy, outmoded Marine Corps air station from the middle of Okinawa's Ginowan City and rebuild it to modern warfare standards in a remote, coastal area of the prefecture has been nearly 20 years in the making. It's taken that long to vet, negotiate and come to the verge of implementing.

The two-nation pact would also reduce the number of Marines in Okinawa by more than 8,000. And the troops would take along with them about 9,000 dependents, plus full-time civilian staff, an endless supply of accouterments, a bevvy of well-oiled war machines, a regimen of active training, and an appetite for all the lifestyle, quality housing, goods and services they can afford.

It Ain't Perfect, But It's Sure Good Enough To Go

In the eyes of the U.S. Government, the present accord isn't as bad for Japan as the Hatoyama Administration, its new coalition supporters, and many Okinawans have sometimes made it out to be. Sure, there will be environmental impacts to assess with the relocation of Futenma Air Station to coastal Nago at Camp Schwab in Okinawa. But the environment for thousands of Okinawans will improve immeasurably when Futenma closes and the Marine Corps' low-flying battle choppers can begin helipadding on reclaimed land in the Oura Bay, instead of in congested Ginowan City. And, rest assured, as a sovereign nation that makes its own laws, Japan can require as much environmental scrutiny as it deems necessary before the relocation proceeds as planned.

Furthermore, with the 2006 accord and a supporting followup agreement signed in February of this year (before Hatoyama's Democratic Party took power), the U.S. and Japan have effectively negotiated the reduction of the U.S. armed forces population in Okinawa by nearly 20,000 people within a five-year window. If that's not a load off Okinawa's chest, then any further reduction might beckon the question, "does Japan want American protection or not?"

Given these circumstances, it's understandable why exasperation levels in U.S. diplomatic and defense circles have risen. During his official visit to Tokyo last month, just before departing for China on his whirlwind tour of East Asia, Obama dropped a poignant reminder on Hatoyama's cabinet: the presence of U.S. forces in Japan is largely responsible for Japan's post-WWII economic miracle. His parting remarks could not have been better timed, nor more appropriate.

Tomodachi Mustn't Bite Uncle Sam's Hand

Bottom line? Japan must decide now whether it's willing to do what's necessary to sustain a protective U.S. military presence within its borders. In forging a more sovereign foreign policy under a newly dominant political party with fresh, progressive ideas, Japan must find a way to meet national objectives without overplaying its hand.

Insisting that the U.S. rethink the tactics that are the outward manifestation of a long-term strategy that includes the protection of Japan is like biting the hand that feeds them. If Japan fails to offer a viable alternative to the bilateral Okinawa-Guam transfer agreement, the consequences could be dire. And if the new Japan government continues to disagree with its national protector on the tenants of a nation-to-nation accord that has taken two decades to begin implementing, then it can't be much longer before the U.S. begins to think twice about what it stands to gain by continuing to defend so thoroughly a nation that harbors objectives outside the scope of America's defensive, commercial, humanitarian, democratic and peaceful interests in the Pacific.

Perhaps fittingly, it now appears Prime Minister Hatoyama is finding his footing in the race to calm the waters before the U.S. begins questioning the value of its longstanding security and trade partnership with Japan. He is pushing his Cabinet for worthwhile alternative solutions. If their solutions show the kind of intuition, insight and informed perspective that can help the alliance carry out the realignment without sacrificing the strategy objectives and the valuable resources already committed, then a new and improved transfer can proceed. If Japan's ideas prove untenable and out of touch, and Japan's new government remains implacable, then you can count on Guam buildup delays.

During his recent trip to Tokyo, Obama also expressed confidence in Japan's government to do the right thing. For the security of the region, let us hope his confidence is well placed.

Camacho says no to Futenma

Camacho says no to Futenma

Kitazawa convinced Guam can’t support more troops

Thursday, 10 December 2009 04:45 by Mar-Vic Cagurangan | Variety News Staff

GOVERNOR Felix P. Camacho indicated yesterday he will oppose any plan to transfer all U.S. military installations from Okinawa to Guam, saying the island’s finite resources are already strained by the requirements entailing the relocation of 8,000 Marines.

During a courtesy call with Camacho in Adelup, Japanese Minister of Defense Toshimi Kitazawa confirmed that a proposal to shut down the U.S. Marine Corps’ Futenma Station in Okinawa and transfer all U.S. military installations to Guam has been broached as an option but no solid decision has been made.

“Defense Minister Kitazawa assured me that this is an idea that has been presented but has yet to be addressed among their leadership in Japan. I appreciate his honesty in the matter, but I also wanted to make clear that as decisions are made, Guam’s resources and the welfare of our community must be kept in mind.” Camacho said.

“We are already challenged with the present numbers of the relocation of 8,000 Marines, and moving the entire Futenma base would not be possible due to our limited resources and capacity,” the governor added.

Guam is kept in suspense as the fate of the Futenma base remains in limbo while the United States and Japan try to break the escalating negotiation standoff.

“At this moment, we are continuing the discussion between the Japanese and the U.S. government and nothing has been decided yet,” Kitazawa told a press briefing at the Hyatt Regency Guam yesterday. “At this moment, all we can say is that the discussion is ongoing.”

Accurate grasp

Kitazawa toured Andersen Air Force Base, Naval Base Guam, and Naval Computer and Telecommunications Station Guam yesterday. He leaves Guam today.

A press release from the Joint Guam Program Office said the visit has allowed Kitazawa to gain an accurate grasp of the situation on Guam and “to also see the proposed sites for development of facilities and infrastructure in support of the Marine Corps relocation as agreed to in the 2006 U.S.-Japan Roadmap agreement.”

“Defense Minister Kitazawa's visit is an important step in the process of carrying out agreements between the U.S. and Japan to realign forces in the Pacific," Acting Assistant Secretary of the Navy Roger Natsuhara said.

During a press briefing, Kitazawa declined to state his observation of Guam facilities after the daylong tour.

“When I return to Tokyo, I will report the situation to the prime minister and other ministers,” the defense minister told reporters.

“However, at this moment, as the defense minister, I cannot say when we will see the result of the negotiation. Nothing can be reported until after the decision has been made.”

He expressed hopes, however, that the U.S. and Japan governments break the gridlock soon.

Very difficult

Nakaima Ikue, one of the reporters traveling with Kitazawa, told Guam reporters the defense minister is convinced the island doesn’t have the capacity to support additional troops.

“He thinks it will be very difficult for Guam to have more troops,” said Ikue, a Tokyo-based reporter for Ryukyu Shimpo, Okinawa’s largest daily newspaper. “Okinawa people want the U.S. bases to leave. I feel sorry for Guam because now they will get the problems of the Okinawa people.”

Uncertainty

The United States has been imposing pressure on Japan to stick to the 2006 pact, but speculation is now growing that a decision on the U.S. base issue will be stalled further until after next year's Upper House election. The Japanese media reported earlier that talks between the U.S. and Japan negotiators have been suspended.

The haze over the troop relocation plan is causing disquiet in the government of Guam and the business community which are thrilled by the revenue perks and economic promises of the military buildup.

But Camacho remains confident. “Japan’s commitment to move forward is evident in its $1 billion investment into the Marines’ relocation to Guam,” he said.

The governor also banks on a statement made by U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates during his October visit to Japan, where he said.

“Our view is clear. The Futenma relocation facility is the lynchpin of the realignment road map. Without the Futenma realignment, the Futenma facility, there will be no relocation to Guam. And without relocation to Guam, there will be no consolidation of forces and the return of land in Okinawa.”

DEIS: utility project hazards negligible

DEIS: utility project hazards negligible

Thursday, 10 December 2009 04:41 by Jude Lizama | Variety News Staff

EPA reports 8 facilities show increase in toxic emissions

ENVIRONMENTAL impacts of two islandwide water system upgrade proposals have been cited within the draft environmental impact statement for the Guam military buildup.

The preferred alternative for potable water system upgrades would consist of installing as many as 22 new wells at Andersen Air Force Base, rehabilitating existing wells, interconnecting with the Guam Waterworks Authority water system and associated transmission and distribution systems.

Much like the impact study information on possible hazards to the local environment as a result of Guam Power Authority islandwide power system upgrades, the study indicates that these proposed activities “would result in the use of slightly more hazardous materials as compared with existing quantities,” to include the use of petroleum, oil, and lubricants for “heavy equipment, vehicles, generators, and related activities.”

The military buildup report estimates 750 lbs. of hazardous materials “would be generated annually from these activities.”

The impact report said increases in the use of hazardous waste are “judged to be negligible as a result of these existing potable water upgrade activities.”

EPA report

This conclusion, however, contradicts a recent report from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

According to EPA, eight facilities on Guam were found to have an 8 percent increase in toxic chemicals released into the air, land and water in 2008 when compared to 2007, according to new data released today by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Overall at 53, Guam ranks among one of the lowest of 56 states and territories in total releases.

While the island's water and land releases have increased since 2007, underground injection, off-site transfers, and air releases have decreased. The largest increase was of on-site land releases of 1,048 pounds, largely due to increased releases reported by Andersen Air Force Base in Yigo.

Inventory

Facilities found with increased toxic releases were Guam Power Authority,

Hawaiian Rock Products Guam, Mobil Oil Guam Inc. (Cabras Island terminal), Shell Guam, South Pacific Petroleum Corp., Tanguisson Power Plant, US Air Force Andersen Air Force Base and Naval Base (Apra Harbor WWTP).

“We encourage people to use data from the Toxics Release Inventory in order to gain a better understanding of what is being released into their neighborhoods,” said Laura Yoshii, acting EPA administrator for the Pacific Southwest region.

“Industry and communities informed with accurate information can use the inventory as a starting point to find opportunities to reduce the amount of pollutants released into the air we breathe, the water we drink and the land we enjoy.”

The data comes from the EPA’s Toxics Release Inventory. It’s one of EPA’s largest publicly available databases, arming communities with valuable information on more than 650 toxic chemicals released by various industries. The chemical information in the inventory is calculated by industrial facilities and reported to the EPA, as required by law.

Total releases include toxic chemicals discharged by facilities to air, water, land, and underground, and the amount transferred off-site for disposal. Regulatory controls apply to many of the reported releases. Reporting facilities must comply with environmental standards set by local, state and federal agencies.

Regional leaders seek to stop spread of invasive species

Regional leaders seek to stop spread of invasive species

Thursday, 10 December 2009 04:38 by Zita Y. Taitano | Variety News Staff

THE governors of Guam and the CNMI, as well as the presidents of the Federated States of Micronesia, Palau and Marshall Islands have signed a joint communiqué agreeing to initiate programs to ensure that islands in the region will be able to handle the possible influx of invasive species resulting from increased entry of military cargo.

The communiqué was signed during the 12th Micronesia Chief Executives Summit concluded last week. It includes an update by the nine members of the Micronesia Regional Invasive Species Council.

During the summit, the council addressed everything from funding issues, ongoing efforts that would prevent the expansion of the brown tree snake, as well as the development of the Micronesia Biosecurity Plan.

In a letter to Defense Secretary Robert Gates, island leaders expressed their concern regarding invasive species especially with the military buildup and strongly requested that DOD along with its fellow U.S. department and agencies begin proactive measures that would prevent any new invasive species from entering the shores of the islands here in the region.

They also expressed their appreciation for the $2.7 million federal funding for the development of the plan.

The chief executives made some recommendations regarding the plan such as identifying who will head the council and designating two representatives to the council from each state and national jurisdiction by the end of this year.

The council must also reaffirm their commitment and hold two workshop style meetings each year between the summits. During those meetings, the council will discuss invasive issues and what actions can be taken or will be prioritized. A minimum of $2,500 from each jurisdiction would be committed to the council to fund its priority projects.

The council must also reaffirm their commitment and provide a full-time invasive species coordinator for each jurisdiction.

Guam has already taken a step in combating invasive species. Last month, the Inter-agency Bio-Security Task Force was formed at the governor’s office in Adelup.

The task force is comprised of the Guam Department of Agriculture, Guam Customs and Quarantine Agency and the U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. Its primary goal is provide information and updates on what and how invasive species can be eradicated from Guam.

The task force also has currently in training three canines who will be able to detect any type of invasive species in construction materials or items coming into the island before those items head out to the rest of Micronesia.

Healthcare needs to increase 26%

Healthcare needs to increase 26%

Wednesday, 09 December 2009 04:52 by Jennifer Naylor Gesick | Variety News Staff

IN 2014, the peak construction year for the military buildup, Guam will need additional 15 doctors and 91 additional nurses to maintain the current service ratios in the healthcare service, according to the draft environmental impact statement. The additional healthcare professional needs account for a 26 percent increase.

Guam is already designated a medically under-served area due to the current low healthcare provider to general population ratio. The draft report acknowledges the military buildup will exacerbate the healthcare problem on island.

Guam currently falls below the national average in terms of healthcare provider to general population ratio. The service ratio for the number of physicians to the population of Guam is 1 doctor per 2,821 people. The service ratio for the number of nurses to the population of Guam is 1 nurse per 453 people.

The draft impact report anticipates that short- and mid-term medical staffing requirements would increase over current requirements as a result of increased population.

When construction activities are completed, the number of additional doctors and nurses drops to two and 12, a two percent and three percent increase, respectively, according to the report.

Still, the impact study states that these numbers are needed only to maintain the currently low ratio of doctors and nurses to population.

Without corresponding increases in healthcare providers, there will be severe potential health and safety impacts, the study says.

The military promises that “these impacts would be mitigated by assisting GovGuam in funding for health services personnel.”

Without more providers people may have to endure longer wait and response times, fewer or no available providers on island for chronic or acute issues. Complications or death from delayed treatment may be a result of not enough health care providers. Patients may even be required to travel off-island just to receive adequate treatment.

The Guam Memorial Hospital, the only civilian hospital, currently has a 208 bed capacity; 159 acute care beds, 16 bassinets, and 33 long-term beds located in our Skilled Nursing Facility. The availability of beds for actual admissions, however, varies from time to time in accordance with the availability of fully trained and licensed staff.

Naval Hospital is the primary medical provider for military members and their families. The facility admits 2,000 patients annually and delivers 300 babies in a typical year.

The Guam Healthcare and Hospital Development Foundation founded by businessman Pete Sgro is hoping to build a private hospital that will supplement the medical and healthcare services for the island’s civilian community.

Kitazawa Thinks Guam Is "Suitable" For Troop Relocation

Wednesday, 09 December 2009

Guam - Japanese Defense Minister Toshimi Kitizawa paid a curtesy call on Governor Felix Camacho Tuesday.

Japan's Defense Secretary Toshimi Kitazawa was accompanied by escorted by Navy Assistant Secretary Roger Natushara and Joint Guam Program Office Executive Director David Bice.

They spent about a half hour in a closed door meeting with Governor Felix Camacho. When they came out, Kitazawa said the purpose of his visit was "to see this site with my own eyes to deepen my understanding of the situation."

The Japanese Government is laying out billions of dollars for the relocation of Marines from Futenma Air Base in Okinawa to Guam.

Kitazawa arrived on Guam Tuesday night and spent the day inspecting Naval Station and Andersen AFB. And he took a helicopter tour of the island Wednesday afternoon.

Although widely covered by the Japanese media, the Japanese consulate here kept a tight reign on information about his trip.

They did not release his schedule and he did not pay a call on any member of the Guam legislature.

Japanese media last Friday reported that Japan's Prime Minister Yuikio Hatoyama had instructed his Defense Minister to "make extra, active efforts to find alternative locations" for the U.S. Marine Futenma Air Base on Okinawa.

The Prime Minister mentioned the possibility of moving the entire Futenma Base here to Guam.

Kitazawa said from what he's seen, Guam is a suitable place for a relocation, but he didn't pause long enough to say whether it was suitable for the currently planned relocation or perhaps a larger relocation of forces, as his Prime Minister has suggested.

However, Governor Felix Camacho said that Kitazawa assured him that no decision has been made on suggestions that all of Futenma be moved to Guam.

The Governor said he emphasized to Kitazawa that Guam has limited resources and space. He asked that Guam be kept fully informed about the Futenma relocation plans.

The Governor also said the new Japanes Governmnet is facing serious domestic considerations and its imporant that the new government demonstrate a sincere effort to address those domestic concerns.

The Governor also said he considered it unlikely that there will be any serious effort to move all of Futenma to Guam because the U.S. Government has taken a very firm stance with the Japanese Government insisting that the current base re-alignment agreement be followed.

Written by : Kevin Kerrigan

Guam News Factor - December 9, 2009

 Guam Governor: "I Think It Was Strategic On Their Part"

Guam Governor: "I Think It Was Strategic On Their Part"

Navy's Sudden Land Return Sparks Speculation About Unfair Trade



By Jeff Marchesseault

GUAM - As the Defense Minister of Japan tours Guam to see for himself whether the island is big enough to absorb a U.S. air base from Okinawa, the Government of Guam is facing speculation about a possible uneven land trade that could conceivably be offered by the U.S. Department of Defense.

"I think it was a strategic move on their part," said Governor Camacho.

After flying into Guam last night, Mr. Kitazawa met with Governor Camacho at Adelup today, then set off with his entourage to tour military installations, saying he believes Guam is suitable for hosting yet another base.

"I think he's going on a helicopter tour," said Camacho.

But after telling Minister Kitizawa that Guam is not an option to replace Futenma Air Base in Okinawa, the Governor announced the Navy will return excess lands to Guam.

Camacho was briefed on the matter by Acting Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Installations and the Environment Roger Natsuhara.

The Governor's announcement raises questions about whether the Department of Defense is posturing to swap land to support the buildup.

The Governor himself said he thinks it's a strategic move on the Navy's part. But it wouldn't be a clean trade. The land in question, behind former FAA housing, was designated for return over a decade ago during the last round of Base Realignment And Closure (BRAC) activities back in the mid-1990's.

U.S. Navy To Return Land To The Government Of Guam

December 8, 2009 – Washington, D.C. – Congresswoman Madeleine Z. Bordallo today announced that the U.S. Navy has returned a parcel of land in Finegayan to the Government of Guam. The parcel of land, a total of 450 acres referred to as Guam Land Use Plan (GLUP) 77, is bordered on the west by the Philippine Sea, the north by Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) property, the east by Finegayan South, and the south by Harmon. Governor Felix Camacho was also notified of the release of lands by the Honorable Roger Natsuhara, Acting Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Installations and Environment. The Navy declared the lands to be in excess and the General Services Administration (GSA) recently approved the transfer of the GLUP 77 land back to the Government of Guam.

"I was briefed by Acting Secretary Natsuhara that the U.S. Navy will be returning the excess land to the Government of Guam," Congresswoman Madeleine Z. Bordallo said today. "The return of these lands fulfills an obligation by the U.S. Navy to the Government of Guam. I believe this gesture shows goodwill on the part of the Navy. There are land issues that have been raised in the draft environmental impact statement and we hope that the Governor, the Legislature and our community will be able to find acceptable solutions to these challenges."

Guthertz Suggests Minor Change to Cruz's Military Buildup Vote Bill

Guthertz Suggests Minor Change to Cruz's Military Buildup Vote Bill

Guam - Senator Judi Guthertz says that she has no problem with Vice-Speaker BJ Cruz's bill that would create a voter referendum on the military buildup.

Senator Guthertz says it's important for the Department of Defense to know how the people of Guam feel. She does however have some reservations with a section of the bill that asks what people think of leasing CLTC land or returning Ancestral lands. According to Guthertz questions surrounding the use of CLTC and Ancestral lands should be reserved for the indigenous Chamorro people. Vice-speaker Cruz's bill would allow the people of Guam to vote on whether or not they support the military buildup.

Written by :
Clynt Ridgell

Hatoyama Begins Fact Finding Tour; Local Media and Lawmakers Shut Out

Hatoyama Begins Fact Finding Tour; Local Media and Lawmakers Shut Out

Wednesday, 09 December 2009

Guam - The Joint Guam Program Office has Japanese Defense Minister Toshimi Kitazawa in tow today. They are escorting him around the island's military facilities along with a bevy of Japanese media.

Kitazawa arrived last night as scheduled and is staying at the Hyatt.

Local media have been virtually shut out of Kitazawa's fact finding tour and have not been allowed to go along with the Japanese media.

Kitizawa has made himself available to local media late this afternoon at 5:45 pm at the Hyatt where he is staying.

And, with the exception of a brief courtesy visit to Governor Camacho, local leaders have also been shut out as well. Kitazawa will not be meeting with any legislative leaders.

Japan's Prime Minister Yuikio Hatoyama has instructed his Defense Minister to "make extra, active efforts to find alternative locations" for the Futenma Air Base in Okinawa.

The Prime Minister has suggested the possibility of moving the entire Futenma Base here to Guam. However, that is considered highly unlikely.

The Guam military buildup hangs on Hatoyama's decision over the Futenma base relocation.

Hatoyama has said he will not make a final decision until the new year.

Written by : Kevin Kerrigan

Japan Defense Minister Snubs Guam Legislature

Japan Defense Minister Snubs Guam Legislature

Guam - While Japanese Defense Minister Itoshimi Kitizawa did pay a visit to the governor he did not pay a visit to the legislature.

Speaker Judi Wonpat says her office has been in contact with the Japanese consulate for several days now but has not been able to get face time with Kitizawa. The Speaker says she's disappointed that the legislature wasn't paid a visit especially considering the fact that the Japanese official would be a good person to talk to regarding the impacts U.S. militarization has had on Okinawa.

Senator Judi Guthertz who chairs the committee on the military buildup is also disappointed that Kitizawa did not make time for the legislature. Guthertz says that while it's good that he paid a visit to the executive branch he should've made it a point to pay a visit to the legislative branch as well.

Both Wonpat and Guthertz say it is important for the legislature to be included in these types of visits because they will ultimately play a large role in how Guam funds and deals with the military buildup.

Written by :
Clynt Ridgell

Governor Meets with Japan Minister of Defense

Governor Meets with Japan Minister of Defense

Guam-The Japanese Minister of Defense Toshimi Kitazawa paid a courtesy visit today to Governor Felix P. Camacho while in Guam to tour the island’s military installations.

Kitazawa told the governor that he decided to visit Guam in light of new leaderships in both Japan and the United States and to see for himself the location of the expected Marine transfer.

“As with any new leadership, a review and understanding of past policies and commitments is necessary to appropriately move forward, and I believe that was the basis of his visit,” said Gov. Camacho.

Although Kitazawa did not approach the idea of moving the U.S. Marine Corps air wing at Futenma base to Guam, Gov. Camacho asked for his opinion on the matter. Various news sources in Japan have cited talks of moving all military installations out of Japan.

“Defense Minister Kitazawa assured me that this is an idea that has been presented but has yet to be addressed among their leadership in Japan,” said Gov. Camacho. “I appreciate his honesty in the matter, but I also wanted to make clear that as decisions are made, Guam’s resources and the welfare of our community must be kept in mind. We are already challenged with the present numbers of the relocation of 8,000 Marines, and moving the entire Futenma base would not be possible due to our limited resources and capacity.”

As to whether or not the debate on the relocation of the Futenma base will delay buildup plans for Guam, Gov. Camacho referred to a statement made by U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates during his visit to Japan in October 2009. Gates categorically said: “Our view is clear. The Futenma relocation facility is the lynchpin of the realignment road map. Without the Futenma realignment, the Futenma facility, there will be no relocation to Guam. And without relocation to Guam, there will be no consolidation of forces and the return of land in Okinawa.”

While reports indicate that Japan’s new leadership may be reconsidering its commitments in the accord between the United States and Japan, Gov. Camacho said, “Japan’s commitment to move forward is evident in its $1 billion investment into the Marines’ relocation to Guam.”

Kitazawa is scheduled to depart Guam tomorrow.

Written by :
News Release

U.S. EPA: 8 Facilities On Guam Report 8% Increase In Toxic Releases

U.S. EPA: 8 Facilities On Guam Report 8% Increase In Toxic Releases

Guam - Eight facilities in Guam reported an eight percent increase in toxic chemicals released into the air, land and water in 2008 when compared to 2007, according to new data released today by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Overall at 53, Guam ranks among one of the lowest of 56 states and territories in total releases.

While the island's water and land releases have increased since 2007, underground injection, off-site transfers, and air releases have decreased. The largest increase was of on-site land releases of 1,048 pounds, largely due to increased releases reported by Andersen Air Force Base in Yigo.

“We encourage people to use data from the Toxics Release Inventory in order to gain a better understanding of what is being released into their neighborhoods,” said Laura Yoshii, acting EPA administrator for the Pacific Southwest region. “Industry and communities informed with accurate information can use the inventory as a starting point to find opportunities to reduce the amount of pollutants released into the air we breathe, the water we drink and the land we enjoy.”

Guam Facilities
Guam Power Authority
Hawaiian Rock Products Guam
Mobil Oil Guam Inc. (Cabras Island Terminal)
Shell Guam
South Pacific Petroleum Corp.
Tanguisson Power Plant
US Air Force Andersen Air Force Base
US Navy COMNAVMARIANAS Guam Main Base – Apra Harbor WWTP

The data comes from the EPA’s Toxics Release Inventory, commonly referred to as TRI. It’s one of EPA’s largest publicly available databases, arming communities with valuable information on more than 650 toxic chemicals released by various industries. The chemical information in the inventory is calculated by industrial facilities and reported to the EPA, as required by law.

Total releases include toxic chemicals discharged by facilities to air, water, land, and underground, and the amount transferred off-site for disposal. Regulatory controls apply to many of the reported releases. Reporting facilities must comply with environmental standards set by local, state and federal agencies.

Annual Toxics Release Inventory reporting began in 1987 after the enactment of the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (1996). The inventory provides information to the public on annual toxic chemical releases reported by certain industrial and federal facilities. The TRI does not include data on toxic emissions from cars and trucks, nor from the majority of non-industrial sources, such as agriculture. In 2000, TRI expanded to include persistent bioaccumulative and toxic chemicals, or PBTs, at ranges from 0.1 grams to 100 pounds. PBT pollutants are toxic chemicals that remain in the environment and food chain, posing risks to human health and ecosystems.

National TRI Findings:

§ There was a 6% decrease in total reported releases into the environment nationwide from 2007 to 2008

§ The number of facilities reporting chemical releases decreased 5% nationally

§ Total PBT chemical releases decreased by 2% nation-wide

For more on the TRI program including additional city, county and facility information, please visit the EPA’s Web sites: http://www.epa.gov/tri, http://www.epa.gov/triexplorer and http://www.epa.gov/enviro.

State fact sheets are available at: http://www.epa.gov/region09/toxic/tri/ and http://www.epa.gov/triexplorer/statefactsheet.htm.

For more information on the PBT Chemicals Program, please visit the EPA’s Web site at http://www.epa.gov/opptintr/pbt

Written by :
News Release

DoD returning 350 acres to people of Guam

DoD returning 350 acres to people of Guam

Posted: Dec 08, 2009 9:22 PM PST
by Mindy Aguon

GUAM - While the Draft Environmental Impact statements makes reference to various portions of land the military will need to acquire for the marines relocation, the Department of Defense has identified excess land to be returned to original landowners.

Governor Felix Camacho received the news today that 350 acres of land behind the former FAA housing will be returned back to the people of Guam.

"I think it's in consideration of the fact that when you look at the whole typical area of where they're going to build. Maybe there's a realization that these lands that were deemed to be excess years ago with the promise that they were being returned are being lived up to those promises are met and they're returning it to the government, " Camacho explained.

The Governor calls this a strategic move on the military's part. We should note the excess land is not included in the DEIS, although the DOD did express interest in utilizing some of the former FAA housing area.

US Agency Changes Mind on Health Risk in Vieques

US Agency Changes Mind on Health Risk in Vieques

07 December 2009
Press Release
Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry

(ATSDR, a federal public health agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, evaluates the human health effects of exposure to hazardous substances.)

Federal Agency to Change its Early Conclusions on Environmental Assessment in Vieques
November 13, 2009

ATLANTA-The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) has signaled its intent to modify some of its earlier conclusions about health risks to residents of the Island of Vieques. The decision was shared during a meeting with scientists from Puerto Rico and followed a thorough review of ATSDR public health assessments finalized in 2003 and other environmental studies of the island conducted in the intervening years. ATSDR’s re-examination of the data comes as part of a "fresh look" the federal public health agency pledged to island residents and Congress.

"A thorough and objective review of the available data is an important step in our commitment to the people of Vieques", said Dr. Howard Frumkin, agency director. "Much has been learned since we first went to Vieques a decade ago, and we have identified gaps in environmental data that could be important in determining health effects." We are committed to using the best technology and scientific expertise to help find answers for the people of Vieques.

"The gaps we found indicate that we cannot state unequivocally that no health hazards exist in Vieques. We have found reason to pose further questions," Frumkin said. As a result of the scientific consultation and its document review, ATSDR expects to:

• change some of its earlier conclusions regarding the safety of environmental exposures on Vieques;
• recommend bio-monitoring to determine whether persons living on Vieques have been exposed to harmful chemicals, and, if so, at what levels those chemicals may be in their bodies;
• work with Puerto Rican health officials to conduct more in-depth evaluation of health outcomes;
• work with community members and Puerto Rican health officials to issue science-based, precautionary recommendations to protect public health;
• work with partners in the Puerto Rican health care community to encourage improved access to health care for residents of Vieques; and
• coordinate an inclusive, accountable process featuring participation of Puerto Rican community members and professionals in moving forward.

ATSDR scientists will prepare a summary report of the previous environmental health work done for Vieques, including recommendations developed from the scientific consultation. As part of the scientific process, this report will be peer reviewed by independent experts. Once peer review is completed, ATSDR will provide detailed recommendations about future activities.

"ATSDR greatly appreciates the scientists taking time to travel to Atlanta and share their findings and perspectives. We salute the independent scientists and community leaders for their dedication to the health of the people of Vieques, and we look forward to working with them as we move forward with our fresh look at Vieques," Frumkin said.

U.S. offers to pay Native Americans $1.4 billion for lost funds

U.S. offers to pay Native Americans $1.4 billion for lost funds

By Paul Courson, CNN
December 8, 2009 11:21 p.m. EST

Washington (CNN) -- Thousands of American Indians would receive as much as $1,000 each if they accept a proposed $1.4 billion to settle a class-action lawsuit over government mismanagement of tribal lands.

The suit, filed in 1996, accused the U.S. Department of the Interior of failing to account for and provide revenue from a trust fund representing the value of Indian assets managed by the government.

As part of the settlement, the federal government would agree to establish a $2 billion program to buy small fractions of land to help sellers obtain value from ancestral property, which then would be held by tribal governments.

The missing funds at the center of the class-action case involve what are called Individual Indian Money accounts, which are supposed to represent the property of individual American Indians. The accounts are held by the United States as trustee.

The lawsuit had accused the government of failing to account for the money, failing to make proper payments, and converting tribal money for the government's own use.

A federal judge must approve the plan, and Congress would have to enact a bill to implement it.

At a Tuesday news conference, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar acknowledged the need for a "historical accounting for funds that the government held in trusts for Native Americans."

Attorney General Eric Holder, accompanying Salazar to announce the settlement proposal, said the deal addresses allegations "the government has mismanaged acres of land and millions of dollars that it holds in trust for Native Americans."

But one of the American Indians who filed the suit in 1996 suggested the years of litigation had simply worn them down.

"It's not fair," said Elouise Cobell, but "in the future we may be treated more fairly."

Cobell, a member of Montana's Blackfeet Indian tribe, said those who could benefit from the payments are getting old and dying off.

Pressing for a higher settlement figure would be tough, she said, since she "can't handle how the mismanagement of this trust has hurt people."

Cobell said many of those represented in the class-action suit "subsist in the direst poverty," and that the settlement is "significantly less than the full amount to which the Indians are owed."

Confirmation of a proposed settlement was a tightly kept secret ahead of the news conference at the Interior Department. Part of the reason may have been that the deal nearly fell through just hours earlier, according to an agency official.

"It's confidential," said Associate Attorney General Tom Perrelli in response to a reporter's question as to the sticking point.

News of the deal was buried in a statement released in advance from the Interior Department that mentioned "the Cobell settlement," as part of a broader plan being announced to address land ownership by Native Americans.

The group ownership of land by American Indians dates back more than 100 years before American Indians were permitted to write wills. As a result, the government says large parcels of tribal lands are held by owners with "miniscule interests" received from ancestors who conveyed the property to descendants as tenants-in-common.

Officials say the purchase project will allow individual landowners to receive greater value for their share, while cutting administrative costs for the federal government, which manages the Indian land trust.

Salazar said, "It is common to have hundreds -- even thousands -- of Indian owners for one parcel."

The initiative would consolidate ownership through purchases from willing sellers, and tribal governments would have control, according to a "fact sheet" put out ahead of the announcement.

Without the purchases, "Millions of acres of land will be owned in such small ownership interests that very few individual owners will ever derive any meaningful financial benefit from that ownership," the statement said.

UOG Can Help Guam Benefit From The Buildup

UOG Can Help Guam Benefit From The Buildup

Will The University's New Environmental Law Course Hit The Ground Running?

Will It Get Traction In Time To Make A Meaningful Difference?

Written by Jeff Marchesseault, Guam News Factor Staff Writer
Tuesday, 08 December 2009 14:13

GUAM -The introduction of a new environmental law course taught by practicing attorneys at the University of Guam may come just in time to make a difference. Depending on the willingness of the course's real-world instructors to roll up their sleeves and delve right into the thick of the single most pressing environmental issue of the day, these down-in-the-dirt lawyers cum ad hoc professors and their graduate-level students have a chance to add substantive weight to concerns posed by the Department of Defense's Draft Environmental Impact Statement/Overseas Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS/OEIS) supporting Guam's region wide military buildup.

This 8,000-page document is now widely available for perusal online, at mayors' offices, at public libraries and at the Legislature building in Hagatna, and it is wide open for public comment. The Pentagon's Joint Guam Program Office has been accepting demonstrably serious written concerns since November 20th (the day DOD published the document) and will continue doing so until February 17th. This is a three-month window of opportunity for anyone concerned about the buildup and its effects to sort through what's most important to them within the nine or ten indexed volumes available online or inside bound volumes at the various assigned public reading rooms.

Timing = Everything

As a Spring 2010 course, the environmental law program presumably launches somewhere around the third week of January, just less than a month before the DEIS comment period closes. This is perfect timing for a hit-the-ground-running class project that could have meaningful and lasting effect on various aspects of the Final Environmental Impact Statement in ways that would reward students and their instructors while benefiting the community. The Defense Department acknowledges that no working DEIS/OEIS can exist in a vacuum -- and that no such document can be perfect -- but that it can be improved upon in ways that help the host community and the military simultaneously if the host community is willing to participate in a meaningful way.

'Ready-Made' For Impact Improvement

UOG's environmental law course requires students to have at least a bachelor's degree before registering and requires the price of enrollment. Chances are that nearly all such qualified students are going to have a serious interest in the consequences and opportunities involved in the most intensive, condensed environmental impact to hit Guam in decades. If the practicing attorneys who have been hired to carry out the coursework want to make the greatest impression on their students and if their students hope to have the most direct influence on their community, now would be the time for instructors to begin planning coursework around the DEIS/OEIS and for students to begin familiarizing themselves with this critical document.

Here is the official course announcement from the University of Guam:

UOG Offers New Graduate Course: Introduction To Environmental Law

The Environmental Science program at the University of Guam offers a new course in Environmental Law beginning in the spring 2010 semester

"We believe this new course will be of interest to our current graduate students as well as alumni and others in the community who want to learn more about the regulation and enforcement of environmental requirements," said John Jenson, Professor and Environmental Science Program Chair at the University of Guam. "The Environmental Law course will certainly benefit those individuals working in the environmental field."

In an effort to cater to the schedules of working professionals, Environmental Law will be offered Tuesdays and Thursdays from 5:30 – 6:30 p.m. It will be taught by a team of local practicing attorneys: Sam Bailey, James Collins, Aaron Jackson, Christina Pedersen, and James Wade. This course surveys the laws and agencies that regulate, enforce, and litigate current environmental issues. It provides an introduction to the major federal environmental laws, including the Endangered Species Act, National Environmental Policy Act, Clean Water Act, Clean Air Act, RCRA (waste disposal), and CERCLA ("Superfund") statutes. It also introduces students to the local counterparts to these national statutes, and to the common law actions useful for individuals or communities seeking to address specific environmental concerns. The goals of the course are to provide students of the environmental and related sciences with:

· A basic understanding of the central statutes and legal framework by which the work of environmental science professionals is applied within the jurisdictions of the United States of America

· Insight into how various environmental challenges of the modern world are resolved in the nation's courts and legislatures.

This is a graduate level course; interested individuals must have earned a bachelor's degree.

For more information about the Environmental Science Program at the University of Guam visit www.uog.edu/environmentalscience or contact Dr. John Jenson at 735-2689 or jjenson@uguam.uog.edu This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

DoD-GWA water system integration eyed

DoD-GWA water system integration eyed

Wednesday, 09 December 2009 04:44 by Jude Lizama | Variety News Staff

ECHOING previous statements made by the Joint Guam Program Office director David Bice said Guam Waterworks Authority is “operating at near capacity in terms of water production” and the agency “could be indirectly affected by increased water demands associated with the construction workforce and induced population growth.”

The military buildup impact report further claims U.S. Navy and Air Force installations’ water infrastructure systems will be directly affected. Currently, the defense department has water storage units across the island with a collective storage capacity of roughly 23 million gallons, most of which consist of concrete structures either partially buried or covered with earth.

According to the environmental impact statement, GWA has prepared a five-year capital improvements that would cover fiscal years 2009 to 2013. The $200 million price tag for accommodating the induced population increase would include 22 additional wells plus transmission lines and storage facilities.

The defense department claims to not have seen the GWA improvement plan but the study does cite discussions between the two departments to “begin working through the details to coordinate GWA support for the proposed buildup.”

The military impact study notes capital improvements at GWA would be funded through “surplus system revenues, grants, and loans” and that “Substantial rate increase relief is anticipated.”

Water supply

The impact report further proposes that defense officials and GWA manage the Northern Guam lens aquifer, the source for off-base production wells supplying the northern air force base.

Other off-base water supply and transmission system include nine water production wells, two booster pump stations, three storage tanks, chlorination facilities, one fluoridation facility, and approximately 80,000 feet of water lines. An additional 700,000 feet of water lines are part of the current on-base water distribution system which includes a pump station and three storage tanks.

Distribution

The Andersen Air Force Base water system receives its water from Andersen Northwest Field and Andersen South, which includes an “off-base water supply; disinfection, storage, and transmission system; and an on base water distribution system.”

The Navy water system is an island-wide system extending from the Navy reservoir NCTS Finegayan near the northern tip of the island. Water from the Fena water treatment plant provides majority of the Navy water system’s needs.

The study also cited that “transmission lines connecting the Navy water system and the Andersen AFB system also exist, but they are presently out of service.”

DEIS public review at GPO

DEIS public review at GPO

Wednesday, 09 December 2009 04:45 Varitey News Staff

(BSP)--The natural resources subcommittee of the Governor’s Civilian Military Task Force will be conducting a Natural Resources Expo that will highlight the government of Guam agencies’ issues and concerns when reviewing the draft environmental impact statement for the military buildup. This expo will be held at the Guam Premier Outlet on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

“I realize that we are still in process of reviewing the [impact study]. However, it is critical to begin the educational process and public involvement. This is just the first of many informational outreach events that we will be conducting,” according to Alberto “Tony” A. Lamorena V, director of the Bureau of Statistics and Plans.


Governmental agencies, departments and other non-governmental organizations will have tables and display space to pass out information to the public.

For more information, please contact Elaina Todd at 475-4468.

USCIS: Be careful of false advertisements

USCIS: Be careful of false advertisements

Wednesday, 09 December 2009 00:00 By Gemma Q. Casas - Reporter

OFFICIALS of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services said some people may take advantage of Guest workers, foreign investors and employers gathered on Friday at American Memorial Park’s Visitors Center to listen to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services officials discuss federal immigration law. CNMI’s new immigration system in the wake of reports that some individuals in China are falsely claiming that foreigners can get U.S. permanent residency status or a green card in the commonwealth.

David Gulick, district director of the USCIS, said if the information sounds too good to be true, don’t believe it.

“What we want to make people aware of is when people promise you something that seems too good to be true, like everybody will get a green card on Nov. 28, don’t believe it,” he told the Variety.

Marie Thérèse Sebrechts, Department of Homeland Security-USCIS regional media manager for Southern California, Arizona, Nevada, Hawaii, Guam and the CNMI, said people should be very wary about rumors and should be alert for immigration fraud.

Her warning came after a person inquired about a false advertisement circulating in an undisclosed part of China wherein certain individuals are selling their services to assist Chinese to get into the CNMI which was described as a place where they could get a green card.

“I told that individual that’s not true,” she said.

“This can happen at a time when there’s confusion, some people will believe if someone says, ‘You pay me $5,000 or $10,000 I can get you a green card,’ ” she added.

The USCIS said there are no confirmed victims yet of the false advertisements in China.

“The message is be very careful. Please use the resources that are available. Use the .gov site. We have appointments, come in. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. If you want legal help hire an attorney,” Sebrechts said.

The USCIS officials also noted that all forms from their office are free and that people should only get information from the official Web sites of federal agencies.

“All U.S. government web sites end in .gov. Downloading forms is free,” said Sebrechts.
Information about the CNMI’s new immigration system can be accessed at www.uscis.gov.

The USCIS said it has published the E-2 investor rule, transitional worker rule, the conforming rule, and other information materials on its CNMI Web site.

Opinion :: Exclusion of Chamorro voice on buildup

Opinion :: Exclusion of Chamorro voice on buildup

Wednesday, December 09, 2009
By JOHN S. DELROSARIO JR.
Special to the Saipan Tribune

The completion of the Environmental Impact Statement on the planned military buildup in Guam is out for public scrutiny. The study addresses the mega impact versus basic infrastructure costs and wildlife habitats on Guam. It did everything else except allow the most important equation: the indigenous people of Guam, specifically, their sentiment on the impending mega buildup.

To address this apparent misgiving or purposeful oversight, Guam’s Vice Speaker Benjamin Cruz introduced legislation that would grant the indigenous people the opportunity to vote on whether they support or oppose the planned military project. It is the most appropriate legislation that would grant real stakeholders a participatory voice on substantive issues affecting their livelihood.

These issues must come into full view for deliberative discussions before this plan is given approval for subsequent implementation. It’s a process that must be allowed to take its natural course. Queries abound, including: How would this project impact the quality of life of the indigenous people? Would this require acquisition of more indigenous land for military purposes? What about the future need for residential subdivisions for the indigenous people? Would this issue be reduced to in-consequence in favor of military needs? How would this impact assist the indigenous people on basic infrastructure outside military fortifications? Who is going to defray these costs? In brief, it seems the buildup has the equivalence of placing the bull before the cart.

It is timely that the legislation is considered forthwith so that Uncle Sam hears the muted and oppressed voices of the indigenous people who only ask for common decency in forging a healthy future for their children. The simple folks at home have seen the dysfunctional relationship they had to endure with the military on indigenous land in the Andersen Air Force area. If this is any indication of what lies ahead, then the past is a quick reference for the future.

How much longer must this indignity be imposed rapaciously against a people who have served Uncle Sam so well for more than six decades? That the buildup means moving into my front and backyard definitely commands common decency in order that you ask me for my consent if such a plan is appropriate. I’m not sure that heavier dosages of colonization, alienation, degradation, dispossession, and marginalization of the indigenous people would restore their dignity as permanent hosts of Guam.

If I may, the military is notorious in the acquisition of prime land for its purposes. It has happened in the NMI and Guam. Must there be a repeat of history to understand that such a plan has simply turned the muted voices of our brothers and sisters into the perfect prescription of alienation and inconsequence? If you wish to be a good neighbor, start by listening to our sentiments, too. Rapacious acquisition of indigenous land no longer has a place anywhere in the Pacific Guam and the NMI included.

I wish to note too that the firepower of our country in the Pacific theatre is in the State of Hawaii. Satellite defense facilities aren’t going to aid our defense posture in Asia and the Pacific other than the convenience of imposing "contingency" plans that stampede and crush indigenous dignity and rights. A happy medium is a must and it begins with the military promoting an inclusive policy of participation by the indigenous people of Guam. Anything short of this is a perfect recipe for a dysfunctional relationship with the military.

The Futenma military base in Okinawa speaks volumes of how Okinawans feel about a crowded and noisy fortification in their midst they wish relocated. Some 80,000 people are relocating to Guam and DOD isn’t prepared to listen to the views of their hosts?

Report: Japan suspends talks on future of U.S. base on Okinawa

Report: Japan suspends talks on future of U.S. base on Okinawa

By Blaine Harden
Washington Post Foreign Service
Tuesday, December 8, 2009 7:15 AM

SEOUL -- A rift between the United States and Japan over the future of a military air station on Okinawa widened Tuesday, as Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada told Japanese media that talks on relocating the base have been suspended.

The report offers additional evidence that the newly elected government of Japan is uncomfortable with the military footprint of the United States. Most of the 36,000 U.S. forces in Japan are based on the southern island of Okinawa.

Japan may ask the United States to mitigate the military's impact on the daily life of Okinawans before reaching a conclusion on what to do about the disputed air station, chief cabinet secretary Hirofumi Hirano said Tuesday.

"The biggest priority for the Japanese side is to reduce burdens on the people of Okinawa,'' he said at a news conference.

Asked if the U.S. government could comment on the reported suspension of U.S.-Japan talks about the air base, a spokesman for the American Embassy in Tokyo said, "No."

During his visit to Tokyo last month, President Obama and Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama set up a "high-level working group" to resolve the dispute about the location of the Futenma Marine air station, which is located in a densely populated part of Okinawa and has become a symbol of the noise, pollution and crime that many Japanese associate with the U.S. military presence.

But the group's meetings were inconclusive and have been suspended, with no resumption set, Okada said at a press conference, according to the Kyodo news agency.

"We are now waiting to see whether we should hold the discussions again," said Okada, who is a member of the working group, as is U.S. Ambassador John Roos.

After the group's last meeting, on Friday, U.S. officials had said that they expected there would be more negotiating sessions.

Japan and the United States agreed in 2006, as part of a $26 billion plan to move U.S. troops off and around Okinawa, that the Futenma air station would be moved to a new site on the island.

But Hatoyama, who was elected in August on a promise that he would be more assertive than previous Japanese leaders in dealing with the United States, has said he wants the air station moved off Okinawa altogether -- possibly out of the country.

In recent weeks, mixed signals from his government about the future of the air station have frustrated the Obama administration. Obama said that the working group the two created would merely "implement" the existing agreement from 2006, but Hatoyama later said that unless the working group had the power to renegotiate the agreement, its meetings were pointless.

Since then, a number of the prime minister's statements on the base issue have been confusing or contradictory. He said last week that the issue need not be decided soon, then he said perhaps the air station should move to Guam and then he said the issue should be decided soon.

His statement to reporters Tuesday -- "We've come fairly close to a saturation point,'' he said -- was especially vague, and Japanese officials continued to act in ways that could be seen as contradictory.

First, the government approved the allocation of funds to pay for commitments Japan made in its 2006 agreement with the United States over moving American bases and troops, including the relocation of the Marine air field on Okinawa and the transfer of 8,000 Marines from the island to Guam.

But later Hirano, the senior spokesman for Hatoyama, suggested that United States will have to reduce base-hosting burdens on the island before Japan can agree to sort out the air-station issue.

Japanese officials said that Hatoyama may try to meet with Obama next week at the Copenhagen climate conference to discuss the base issue.

Hatoyama is facing a possible revolt by a coalition partner whose votes he needs to pass legislation in the upper house of parliament. The leader of the Social Democratic Party, Mizuho Fukushima, said last week her party might quit the coalition if Hatoyama honors the deal to keep the air station on Okinawa.

The new prime minister is also troubled by declining popularity and an economy at risk of a double-dip recession. To avoid a return to recession, his government on Tuesday agreed to spend $81 billion in new stimulus efforts.

Hatoyama's approval ratings dipped below 60 percent in a newspaper poll released Monday, as many of those polled criticized the prime minister for indecision on the base issue.

Japan, U.S. working group on Futemma issue suspended: Okada

Japan, U.S. working group on Futemma issue suspended: Okada

Dec 8 04:16 AM US/Eastern

TOKYO, Dec. 8 (AP) - (Kyodo) — Japan and the United States have suspended discussions at a high-level working group set up to seek an early solution to the thorny issue of relocating a U.S. military airfield in Okinawa, Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada said Tuesday.

Okada said matters that "go beyond" the bounds of the working group have emerged, such as a possible delay in Japan's decision on the relocation issue and the need to take heed of the arguments of a party in the ruling coalition.

The Social Democratic Party says that unless the U.S. Marine Corps' Futemma Air Station is transferred out of Okinawa Prefecture or out of the country it will leave the coalition government.

The two countries launched the high-level working group in November to seek an expeditious resolution to the issue of the Futemma relocation.

The working group has mainly studied how the two countries reached the 2006 accord to relocate the facility from a downtown residential area of Ginowan to the less densely populated city of Nago, another city in Okinawa, by 2014.

The accord is part of a broader Japan-U.S. agreement on the realignment of U.S. forces in Japan and was agreed under a previous government led by the Liberal Democratic Party, which is now the main opposition party.

Okada told a regular press conference, "The working group is suspended and we are now waiting to see whether a situation will develop in which discussions should be held again."

The United States has consistently called for Japan to abide by the 2006 accord, but Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama has yet to work out a clear policy on the issue.

A government source also said earlier in the month that Hatoyama called on ministers concerned to accelerate efforts to consider a new relocation venue other than the one under the 2006 bilateral accord.

"In discussions at the working group, there have been talks about the coalition, about something like a delay (in reaching a decision) and about searching for other options," Okada said.

"These go beyond (the capacity of) the working group," he added.

Members of the working group include Okada and Defense Minister Toshimi Kitazawa from the Japanese side. For the United States, Ambassador to Japan John Roos represents Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Defense Secretary Robert Gates.

Japan defense minister arriving tonight

Japan defense minister arriving tonight

Posted: Dec 08, 2009 2:38 PM
Updated: Dec 08, 2009 2:39 PM

by Mindy Aguon

Guam - Japan's Defense Minister Toshimi Katazawa will arrive on island tonight from Narita, Japan. According to a statement released to Japanese media today, Katazawa will be conducting a fact-finding mission regarding the relocation of U.S. Marines to Guam.

He'll be meeting with the island's military and elected leaders. His visit comes as Japan has not resolved a dispute over American military bases on Okinawa, specifically the relocation of the Futenma air base.

U.S. repeats view that Japan should implement agreed base relocation

U.S. repeats view that Japan should implement agreed base relocation

December 08 2009 12:22
WASHINGTON, Dec. 7 KYODO

The United States on Monday reiterated its view that Japan should relocate a key U.S. military base within Okinawa Prefecture as agreed under a bilateral deal.

''There is a position, because there's an agreement. I think that's what both the sides reiterated,'' White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs told reporters.

The remarks came after Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama said Tokyo will inform the United States of its policy on the relocation of the U.S. Marine Corps' Futemma Air Station in Okinawa by Dec. 18, when he may meet with U.S. President Barack Obama in Copenhagen.

Gibbs declined to make further comments, saying he doesn't have ''anything more to add'' than what Obama and Hatoyama discussed at their previous summit in Tokyo last month.

Amid mounting pressure from Washington, speculation is growing that Japan will basically stick to the existing deal agreed upon in 2006 between Japan and the United States to relocate the facility to the coastal area of the Henoko district in Nago, another Okinawa city, by 2014.

The planned relocation of the Futemma facility is part of a broad Japan-U.S. accord on the realignment of U.S. forces in Japan and is linked to the transfer of 8,000 Marines from Okinawa to Guam, which is another key realignment plan in the package.

Japan to decide soon on relocation plan for Marine Corps air base

Japan to decide soon on relocation plan for Marine Corps air base

Updated at 11:59 a.m., Monday, December 7, 2009
Yomiuri Shimbun

TOKYO — Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama on Monday said he would shortly convey to Washington his government's position on the issue of relocating the U.S. Marine Corps' Futenma Air Station in Okinawa Prefecture.

"It's about time the government finalized its stance on the relocation issue and relayed that information to the United States," Hatoyama said at the prime minister's official residence.

It is not known, however, what decision he will reach. Hatoyama has taken a cautious stance over the current plan — agreed upon by Japan and the United States after years of negotiations — to transfer the Futenma base in Ginowan to waters near the U.S. Marine Corps' Camp Schwab in Henoko, Nago, in the same prefecture.

The prime minister also has expressed his intention to delay a decision on the matter until next year. However, if Hatoyama informs Washington that this stance is the government's finalized position on how to deal with the matter, it most likely would widen the chasm with the United States, which has insisted that the current relocation plan be implemented, according to observers.

Hatoyama said he had discussed the issue with Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada when they met Sunday at his official residence.

Referring to the government's position on the current relocation plan, the prime minister said, "I acknowledge the United States' request that we carry out the plan, but it's not an easy issue that can be resolved quickly in view of the difficulties we face as a coalition government and the expectations of local people in Okinawa."

Hatoyama's remarks underlined the importance he places on weighing the opinions of the Social Democratic Party — one of his Democratic Party of Japan's two minor coalition partners — and the residents of Okinawa Prefecture. Both the SDP and the residents have been calling for the Futenma base to be relocated outside the prefecture or Japan.

Okada, meanwhile, met with U.S. Ambassador to Japan John Roos on Monday afternoon at his office, where they reportedly discussed the relocation issue.

During his meeting with Hatoyama on Sunday, Okada reportedly called on the prime minister to finalize the government's stance on the matter at an early date, while also reporting to him that the U.S. position remains unchanged.

In an effort to prevent the United States' sense of distrust from mounting, Hatoyama apparently has deemed it advisable to take a definite stance on the matter and convey this position to Washington before the end of this year, according to political analysts.

Given the fact that Hatoyama has referred to the difficulty of executing the current plan, it is thought he will reiterate this point when he conveys his stance on the issue to Washington.

Speaking at a news conference Monday, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirofumi Hirano echoed the prime minister's intention to decide on a definite position over the Futenma issue at an early date.

"The time has come for the government to finalize its stance on how to resolve the issue and to convey this to both the United States and the people of Okinawa Prefecture," Hirano said.

Japan to allot buildup costs in its fiscal budget

Japan to allot buildup costs in its fiscal budget

Pacific Daily News • December 9, 2009

Japan will earmark in its fiscal 2010 budget expenses related to the relocation of a U.S. military airfield in Okinawa and the transfer of 8,000 Marines to Guam, an Agence France Presse report stated, citing Japan Defense Minister Toshimi Kitazawa.

"Prime Minister (Yukio Hatoyama) has approved the allocation," which is required under a 2006 bilateral accord on the reconfiguration of U.S. forces, the minister said in the AFP report. The move suggests Tokyo is attempting to assuage Washington's concerns over the base relocation, which has grown into a bilateral row.

Kitazawa's announcement comes a day before his trip to Guam. He was scheduled to arrive last night.

The Japan-U.S. pact stipulates the U.S. Marine Corps Futenma Air Station in a crowded residential area of Ginowan will be moved to the less densely populated city of Nago in Okinawa by 2014.

But Hatoyama pledged during election campaigning before his Democratic Party of Japan came to power in September that he will seek to move the Futenma facility out of Okinawa.

The premier has recently indicated the government may not draw a conclusion on where to relocate the Futenma base until next year, the AFP report stated. He said Monday the country would inform the United States of its policy by Dec. 18, when he may meet with U.S. President Barack Obama in Copenhagen.

In a press conference, Kitazawa said about 50 billion yen will be earmarked for the Marines' transfer to Guam in Japan's fiscal 2010 budget, and that he will visit the island to inspect Andersen Air Force Base and other military installations.

The defense chief said more than 30 billion yen has already been earmarked in the fiscal 2009 budget for the Marines' transfer to Guam and that his three-day visit to the Pacific island is intended to examine how the project to build new accommodation facilities has been getting on there, the report stated.

Sen Judi Guthertz with Ray Gibson

Sen Judi Guthertz with Ray Gibson

Interview between Ray Gibson and Senator Judi Guthertz about the upcoming visit of the Japanese government's Defense Secretary. The senator said she was disappointed that the legislature has not been included in any communications or discussions with the secretary. They also talked about the rumor that the secretary is here to talk about moving all military personnel station at Futenma to Guam. They then discussed the status of the legislature's ethics committee.

If player does not work click here to download entire podcast.

http://www.pacificnewscenter.com/images/stories/k57podcasts/dec09/091208_063807.mp3

Written by :
Bob Gaeth

U.S. military children arrested in Japan

U.S. military children arrested in Japan

December 7, 2009 4:02 p.m. EST

Tokyo, Japan (CNN) -- Four American teenagers, all children of U.S. military personnel, have been arrested on charges of attempted murder after a woman was knocked off her motorbike with rope strung across two poles, Japanese police said.

The four suspects -- two 15-year-old boys, a 17-year-old girl and an 18-year-old man -- were taken into custody on Saturday, the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department said.

They are accused of causing a severe head injury to a 23-year-old restaurant employee by stringing a rope between poles across a road.

U.S. Forces Japan was informed of the August incident in late October, a public information officer said. There was no clear explanation for the delay in the handover of the suspects to police, other than it involved rules between Washington and Tokyo covering U.S. forces and their dependents in Japan.

The U.S. military presence and its impact on Japanese residents have been a thorny issue over the years.

Most recently, residents of the Japanese island of Okinawa, where the U.S. maintains a large military presence, have blamed American troops for crime and noise.

In 2008, a 14-year-old Okinawa girl alleged that a Marine had raped her. The prosecutor released the Marine after the girl decided not to pursue charges. In 1995, a 12-year-old girl was gang-raped by three servicemen. A Japanese court convicted all three men.

Both incidents caused a furor in Japan. Then-Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda called the 2008 incident "unforgivable ... It has happened over and over again in the past and I take it as a grave case."

It is unclear what, if any, role the military can take in the case. The 1960 Status of Forces Agreement between the United States and Japan gives Japan jurisdiction over "the members of the United States armed forces, the civilian component, and their dependents" in cases of offenses committed in Japan and punishable under Japanese law.

The agreement also says the United States must cooperate in investigating such offenses.

‘Nutrition gets low priority’

‘Nutrition gets low priority’


Monday, 07 December 2009 23:18 by Jude Lizama | Variety News Staff

NUTRITION has fallen to a “low level of priority” because of the failure of governments around the world to recognize the pivotal role that malnutrition has on economic performance, according to visiting agronomist Dr. J.D.H. Keatinge.

Keatinge, director general of AVRDC-World Vegetable and Research Development Center, presented “Fighting the Battle Against Poverty & Malnutrition: By Diversifying with Fruit and Vegetable” during a recently held seminar at the University of Guam.

The agronomist’s presentation provided insight into the current landscape of global malnutrition.

Keatinge cited Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Lao PDR, Maldives, Philippines, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, and Vanuatu as countries that are close to, on par with, or slightly above the minimum recommended intake for fruits and vegetables.

In addition, Keatinge said Bangladesh, Cambodia, Mongolia, Pakistan, Timor-Leste, and the Solomon Islands fall well below 50 percent recommended fruit and vegetable intake levels. All of the countries mentioned had either undernourishment rates above 10 percent, or child underweight rates above 20 percent, or both.

AVRDC follows a “vegetable value chain” that identifies important practices that occur between the lifespan of a vegetable from “seed” until “consumption,” which includes evaluation, testing, breeding, conservation, production, post harvest, markets, and nutrition. Data indicate that out of all horticultural development effort funding; only five percent has been funneled to better post harvest practices, while 95 percent has been used to increase crop production.

Keatinge also cited other agricultural challenges such as the ability to find a large reliable water source in developing countries that is unpolluted and the need to utilize integrated pest management to reduce the heavy use of pesticides on crops worldwide.

Inadequate post harvest grading, washing, packaging, cold storage and other essential infrastructure has increased the concern to find quality control solutions. A 2003 study indicated that between 40 and 50 percent of vegetable crops are lost from “field to shelf” as a result of inadequate postharvest storage and processing.

A 2008 world development report that recommended a focus on “nonfarm income” also represents the failure to recognize global malnutrition and provide widespread solutions.

AVRDC takes part in global research and development in areas such as Taiwan, Thailand, Mali, Niger, Solomon Islands, Cameroon, Laos, Niger, Tanzania, India, and Madagascar.

Continuity of Chamorro culture described

Continuity of Chamorro culture described

Monday, 07 December 2009 23:11 Varitey News Staff

(GUAMPEDIA) -- Fifty-four new entries describing the Chamorro culture are now available on line at www.guampedia.com.

The new entries fill out the Chamorro culture section of Guam’s online encyclopedia, giving users 110 ways to learn about and celebrate the Chamorro culture. The entries describe Chamorro matrilineal society, gender roles, value systems, divisions of labor and resources, social stratification, symbolism, and traditions to do with birth, marriage and death.

Chamorro proverbs, the ancient Chamorro calendar, and three more Chamorro folktales have also been added to the website. Seven in depth profiles of Chamorro maga’lahi’s from the times of the Spanish-Chamorro wars, from 1668 to 1695, are also now available.

Entries that describe key Chamorro values such as mamahlao (shame), maggodai (urge to pinch) and geftao (hospitality) are offered as well.

“This body of work will further the understanding of Chamorro culture and ensure that knowledge about it doesn’t become lost,” said Shannon Murphy, Guampedia managing editor. “It is our hope that Guampedia will be used as a teaching tool both for Chamorros and non-Chamorros who live in the Marianas, so newcomers can be sensitive and respectful of the Chamorro culture.”

Included with the entries are 52 new photographs and illustrations, as well as one video clip to illustrate a folktale about Chaife, a god of creation that originated from Spanish times in the Marianas.

The research and writing for the new entries was done by Dominica Tolentino, Michael Lujan Bevacqua, Victoria Lola Leon Guerrero, Tanya Mendiola, Shannon Murphy, Nathalie Pereda, Art De Oro, Chelsea San Nicolas and Chloe Babauta.

The entries were reviewed by Dr. Larry Cunningham, Dr. Judy Flores, Prof. Peter Onedera, Dr. John Peterson, Ron Laguana, Ryan Paulino, Prof. Michael Lujan Bevacqua, Josefina Perez Barcinas, her daughter Rosanna Barcinas, Kelly Marsh, Tyrone Taitano, Prof. Omaira Brunal-Perry, and Dr. Nicolas Goetzfridt.

Political Status Education Bill Clears U.S. House

Political Status Education Bill Clears U.S. House

Guam - Congresswoman Madeleine Bordallo has announced that the political status education bill has passed the House.

The U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 3940 which would authorize the Secretary of the Interior to extend technical assistance grants and other assistance to facilitate a political status public education program on Guam, American Samoa, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

H.R. 3940 passed on a voice vote one month after Congresswoman Bordallo first introduced the bill and two weeks after it was approved by the House Committee on Natural Resources. H.R. 3940 will now be transmitted to the U.S. Senate for consideration in their chamber.

“The passage of H.R. 3940 by the U.S. House of Representatives today advances the issue of political self-determination in the non-self-governing territories by providing federal funding for political status education,” Congresswoman Madeleine Z. Bordallo said today. “H.R. 3940 now goes to the Senate for consideration and I hope that they will act on it with the same sense of priority that the House has viewed this issue.

This bill is supported by the Obama Administration, elected officials from Guam, and decolonization and indigenous rights advocates on Guam. I will continue to work with my colleagues in Congress and with Assistant Secretary Tony Babauta to pass this legislation in the Senate.”

Written by :
News Release

Bice insists buildup good for Guam

Bice insists buildup good for Guam

Monday, 07 December 2009 04:00
by Jude Lizama | Variety News Staff

GUAM and the CNMI will experience economic growth and opportunity as a result of the massive military buildup on Guam, according to Joint Guam Program Office executive director David Bice.

“They will come here from far and wide and see the jewel that you have here,” Bice told island leaders during the 12th Micronesian Chief Executives’ Summit which concluded at Sheraton Laguna Guam Resort Friday.

Despite hints in the draft environmental impact statement that Guam does not have much to expect from the military buildup, Bice maintained the future will be “very bright” for small business as a result of the Marine relocation and buildup.

According to the JGPO director, Marines will take advantage of the regional tourism industry and regional tourism will benefit from allied forces that will frequently come to Guam and the CNMI for training.

Because of a number of factors, the draft impact study indicates the island will not be able to “capture” any significant pools of the billions of dollars that are expected to flow into numerous military projects.

With a plan to use upwards of 30,000 foreign workers who will send most earnings off-island and no recirculation in the local economy and other factors, the low capture rate will mean Guam government coffers, employment and small businesses will be shorted the lion’s share of the billions targeted for preparing for the military’s increasing footprint.

Local turmoil

“Our program is going to maximize the use of workers from Guam and neighboring islands before we seek other labor sources,” Bice said.

The program director, however, weighed that assessment by saying the local labor market will “probably remain in turmoil for the next 10 years or so, if not longer.

He said there will be only 1,700 civilian workers supporting the Marine relocation.

Bice recounted his dialogue with Guam labor director Maria Connelly, and hopes for a collaborative effort to host a symposium geared toward ensuring “NAVFAC, the Guam Department of Labor, and the U.S. Department of Labor are all speaking as one voice.”

Water too

In addition to the economics of the military realignment, Bice sought to assuage concerns over natural resources and utilities.

The retired major general spoke about Guam Waterworks Authority’s lack of capacity to provide sufficiently for the requirements of the projected buildup construction workforce.

“They are operating at near capacity in terms of water production, at this point,” Bice explained on the military’s plan to bring online 22 additional wells to support their needs.

Moreover, Bice believes an interim solution could be achieved to assist in improving the island’s water and wastewater systems. “There is a lot of unaccounted for water loss,” he said.

In the end

Curiously, Bice addressed upgrades at the Port Authority of Guam which he claimed will “not only help the needs of our construction effort,” but will also help to transform the port into a “viable, integral conduit for goods and services.”

The military impact study leaves open the possibility that the Navy may actually repossess the Guam Shipyard facilities and loading equipment Sen. Ben Pangelinan claims to have observed at Navy docks suggest the military will handle off-loading and cargo movement from their own ports.

Without facilities, Guam can’t absorb growth

Without facilities, Guam can’t absorb growth

Monday, 07 December 2009 03:54
by Therese Hart | Variety News Staff

IT IS uncertain if Guam has the capacity to fully absorb and benefit from the sudden injection of large expenditures into its economy during the “boom” period when peak construction overlaps with military arrivals, according to the draft environmental impact statement.

The impact report noted that, theoretically, large expenditures in this period would circulate throughout the economy and create opportunities for spin-off growth in jobs and population.

However, the report noted that if the economy and social infrastructure cannot expand rapidly enough to provide the labor, housing, and other requirements for these jobs to be realized, then much of these expenditures could leak out of Guam’s economy and the potential growth would not all occur before the construction period ends.

Economic models were used to estimate the extent of indirect economic impacts and these models assume it would be easy for business to finance new operations and to find additional workers rapidly.

However, fast-growing economies in general – and a small U.S. territorial islands far from the mainland – can face many challenges in taking advantage of new economic opportunities, the report said.

Because of the size and remoteness of Guam, the available supply of resident workers is limited, and direct jobs from the proposed action would take up much of this labor. The economy of the neighboring CNMI is depressed so some workers may move to Guam. Although they are close, there are limited numbers of skilled workers from the freely associated states.

The U.S. Congress has temporarily lifted the normal limits on H-2B work visas-temporary work permits for foreign labor-for Guam during the construction period. However, foreign workers would not be admitted in large numbers forever, and it would be impractical for many types of employers, especially small businesses, to meet the legal requirements for importing workers and also provide them with housing and health benefits, stated the report

Although U.S. military personnel and foreign workers entering on H-2B work visas would have housing built for them as required by law, other workers moving to Guam to take spin-off jobs would likely rely on housing provided by Guam’s private market. Whether the local market can or would provide such housing in sufficient supply and at affordable prices is uncertain, said the report.

Japan Prime Minister Denies Ever Saying 'Move Okinawa Air Base To Guam'

Japan Prime Minister Denies Ever Saying 'Move Okinawa Air Base To Guam'

Tokyo's Top Ministers Need To Get On The Same Page (And Stop Confusing The Issues!)

Written by Jeff Marchesseault, Guam News Factor Staff Writer
Sunday, 06 December 2009 20:19

GUAM - The day after international media reported that Japan Defense Minister Toshimi Kitazawa was preparing to fly to Guam to assess the island's capacity to absorb the functions of a U.S. air base in Okinawa, his prime minister is saying he issued no such instructions.

That according to UPI and Mainichi News.

UPI reports that Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama explained that he remained under the impression that Washington still prefers to stand by a previously agreed plan to move the base to an area near Camp Schwab in Okinawa Prefecture.

Kitazawa: Shall We Expect Him Next Week Or Not?

Kitazawa was reportedly scheduled to arrive as early as this week. No word yet on whether his trip is still on, but UPI quotes the Defense Minister as being very clear about the reason behind his mission to Guam:

"I'd like to examine its capacity and geography as well as the conditions of the deployment of U.S. forces," he said. "Okinawa residents and the Social Democratic Party are demanding that we seek relocation out of the prefecture even if the process takes longer."

The bit about seeking relocation out of Okinawa even if the process takes longer seems consistent with Prime Minister Hatoyama's drawn out, indecisive reluctance to accept the terms of a 2006 bilateral accord with the U.S. The agreement requires the relocation of Marine Corps Air Station Futenma in Ginowan City to remote, coastal Camp Schwab in Nago City and the transfer of 8,600 Marines to Guam, where a $15 billion buildup is set to begin between late summer and early fall.

A Real World Wakeup

But Okinawans and others in Japan voted Hatoyama and his Democratic Party (along with coalition supporters like the Social Democrats) into power largely on the platform promise that a new government would fight to move Futenma out of Okinawa prefecture and preferably outside of Japan.

But given the cold, hard realities of international security imperatives, that kind of campaign rhetoric is looking more and more like a pipe dream. And that could put the Prime Minister in a pickle domestically, since he reportedly needs the parliamentary support of junior coalition partners like the Social Democrats to get legislation through the Diet.

But no matter how idealistic the Democrats may have thought they were being on the campaign trail, the reality is that the Okinawa-Guam transfer has been nearly 20 years in the making -- from about 15 years of negotiation to about four years of hard planning and prep work. The reality is that the U.S. military can't spend all that time coming up with a solution that does its best to balance competing interests like 'quality of life' and 'economic opportunity' with social and environmental impacts...and then decide nine months before heavy equipment starts clearing land that it's going to put everything on hold so it can scratch its head and figure out a quick alternative. It doesn't work that way. The U.S. has long since done its homework on the alternatives. And the Department of Defense, which leads security and dominates strategy in the region, says there aren't any.

So it's curious why Japan's Defense Minister would think any differently.

Who's On First?

This is not the first time the Prime Minister and his Defense Minister have appeared to be reading from different scripts. After U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates paid a visit to Tokyo in November and insisted that Nago was the only option, Kitazawa agreed that it might be best to stick to the plan. And Foreign Minister Okada said that Okinawa's Kadena Air Base might be an option, although that idea was dead on arrival when Okada visited Okinawa to proffer the notion and met stiff resistance in the prefecture that bears the heaviest concentration of U.S. bases in Japan.

Since winning office at the tail end of August, Hatoyama has appeared to be nervous, noncommittal, evasive, contradictory and defiant on the Futenma issue. Lately, it is presumed that he will delay the announcement of his alternative plan until January (the previous deadline was before the end of this year).

On the one hand, Hatoyama faces those fiercely opposed to any new bases in Okinawa. On the other, he faces an America that views the base relocation within Okinawa and the Okinawa-Guam troop transfer as a way to relieve pressure on Okinawa's crowded civilian city dwellars while re-fortifying the U.S. defensive posture in the Pacific. From one administration to the next, the U.S. has not wavered in its stated intention to move Futenma to Nago and transfer thousands of Marines and their families to Guam.

At some point soon, Japan's new government must decide whether it's going to insist that Futenma must be moved out of Okinawa or whether it's going to honor a 2006 bilateral accord that is designed to help keep Japan safe and protect the collective interests of that nation, ours and others. Japan must decide and decide quickly. At least then, the U.S. and Guam will know where Tokyo stands. Right now it's not exactly clear.

Read the UPI story, "Japan PM: Guam not being eyed for base", December 5, 2009.

Read the Guam News Factor story, "When Mr. Kitazawa Comes To Guam, Let's Speak With One Patriotic Voice", December 5, 2009.

FOCUS: Okada's visit irks Okinawans as fate of U.S. base remains uncertain

FOCUS: Okada's visit irks Okinawans as fate of U.S. base remains uncertain

December 06 2009 18:21
NAHA, Dec. 6 KYODO

Following a weekend visit to Okinawa by Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada that succeeded in upsetting locals, it remains far from clear how Japan will settle the thorny issue of where to relocate a key U.S. military airfield in the southernmost prefecture.

While Okada was desperate to gain understanding of the difficult situation he finds himself in as he reviews an existing Japan-U.S. accord to relocate the U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futemma within the prefecture, he did not endear himself to local residents who attended a gathering to exchange opinions with the foreign minister on Saturday.

''I don't think there was any point to this meeting...the minister probably just wanted an alibi so he could say he had listened to the people,'' Ikuo Nishikawa, 65, who runs a hardware store, said after attending the one-hour gathering.

The event was held in the city of Nago, where Futemma's helicopter functions are expected to be relocated under the accord reached between Japan and the United States in 2006. It was arranged by a ruling Democratic Party of Japan lawmaker in line with Okada's wish to listen to ''each citizen's voice'' and not just local leaders. About 100 people took part.

The city of Nago a decade ago agreed to become the planned relocation site for Futemma in order remove the potential danger faced by residents of Ginowan, adjacent to the Futemma base.

But the launch of the DPJ-led government in September has raised hopes among people in Okinawa that the government may seek to move the facility outside the prefecture altogether, since the DPJ has advocated this before winning the Aug. 30 House of Representatives election.

However, Okada started off the meeting with Nago residents by saying that the DPJ's election manifesto did not specifically promise that the Futemma facility would be relocated outside of the prefecture, although it did make reference to reexamining the realignment of U.S. military forces in Japan.

He then went on to say how tough the current situation is, noting that the United States has consistently urged Japan to abide by the 2006 accord. He also said that resolving the issue by the year-end no longer appears easy and referred to the recent threat by the Social Democratic Party to leave the three-party ruling coalition if the government decides to abide by the existing accord.

''I came here with hope and expectations, but now I'm dismayed,'' Nishikawa from Nago's Henoko area said.

''I told the minister how much I expected from the launch of a DPJ government and how local residents have had a hard time (over the issue)...but the minister just said that the situation is tough, and he gave the same answer even to other questions,'' Nishikawa said.

Other participants, clearly irritated by what could be taken as Okada's efforts to get local residents to accept the existing plan, shouted, ''Why don't you decide at an early date to move the facility out the prefecture?'' and ''Are you going to sacrifice Okinawa?''

Meanwhile, outside the public hall, members of civic groups complained that the event was a closed-door meeting, thus limiting the number of people who could take part.

According to the event's organizers, participants in the meeting -- the first 10 minutes of which were open to the media -- were rank-and-file DPJ members.

Yoshitami Oshiro, a 69-year-old Nago city assembly member, criticized Okada for ''mostly making excuses'' in the meeting and said, ''I wonder what he came for.''

Denny Tamaki, the DPJ lawmaker who arranged the meeting, stressed the significance of having Okada directly hear the voices of Okinawa citizens, but admitted that he did not know how the minister would reflect the opinions he had heard in the discussion process with the United States and with other Japanese ministers.

The citizens' meeting was not the only event that day at which Okada's attitude drew criticism.

In the morning, Ginowan Mayor Yoichi Iha told reporters about a meeting with Okada to discuss the relocation issue.

''The minister was quite irritated...because what I said was different from his idea,'' Iha said. ''I felt as if I was being accused.''

''I also got the impression that the minister is being cornered,'' he added.

Okada, for his part, made no attempt to conceal his discomfort during a press conference Saturday in the city of Naha before returning to Tokyo.

''I am not sure whether I can say with confidence how much the relationship of trust between Japan and the United States will be maintained in the event that we cannot realize the (existing) Japan-U.S. agreement,'' he said.

''There have been doubts as to whether the issue can be settled by the end of the year and it has become a real problem. So, as a foreign minister, I must break the stalemate,'' he said, without elaborating on what he has in mind.

He also indicated to a local daily the same day that he will drop the idea of moving the Futemma facility to the nearby Kadena Air Base -- the option he had floated as a possible alternative to the existing Japan-U.S. agreement.

Negotiations with the United States over the issue ''are reaching their limit,'' he was quoted as saying.

While Okada urged Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama during the press conference to come to an early decision on the issue, possibly in line with the existing plan, officials close to Hatoyama are still talking tough.

''There is no need to be afraid of the United States. It was impossible in the first place to settle the issue by the end of the year,'' a government source said.

Under the 2006 deal, Tokyo and Washington agreed to transfer the Futemma air station to the coastal area of the Henoko district in Nago by 2014. The deal also includes the transfer of around 8,000 Marines to Guam from Okinawa.

==Kyodo

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

More community concerns about land

More community concerns about land

Posted: Dec 06, 2009 2:13 PM
Updated: Dec 06, 2009 3:10 PM

by Nick Delgado

Guam - While the Draft Environmental Impact Statement has been made available to the public for almost two weeks, it seems some in the community are raising concern as to whether the military has already done some serious damage before even the first set of U.S. Marines have step foot on island. Senator Judi Guthertz says she is more than a little frustrated that the Joint Guam Program Office has done some serious damage to its mission of winning approval for the buildup.

"Not even thinking about any land condemnation on Guam in connection with the military buildup," said the senator. "And I thought that based on my discussions with these folks that they understood that was something that would not be desirable."

Guthertz points out that from her review of the Draft EIS that land condemnation would be a last resort - an issue that prompted the senator to send a letter to General David Bice reminding him about the sensitivity of even the remote possibility of land takings through condemnation. "Our history after World War II with reference to this particular subject is very sensitive and emotional, and we don't want to put our people through that again. And I will not support any actions that will involve land takings," she said.

Guthertz concludes that any land needed by the Department of Defense or any other federal entity must be negotiated with the private and GovGuam landowners. While Bice tells KUAM News he has not yet reviewed the letter, Guthertz says if she does not receive a response from Bice soon, then she will pursue other options to make her point clear that not even the littlest piece of dirt will be condemned.

Also concerned about land restrictions are the Guam Boonie Stompers, as the group has already found several sites that will be closed off as a result of the buildup. Vice-president Ed Feely said, "By taking a lot of these sites away, we not only lose those sites but we lose the quality of a lot of the other sites that people would go to as an alternative. They have a lot of lands, why do they need to take those."

However, Civilian Military Task Force Chairman Tony Lamorena cautions everyone when taking a look at the DEIS, saying, "We have to make comment on every portion of it, versus just cherry picking one issue. It's a very comprehensive process."

The DEIS has pointed out that DoD does not have statutory authority to undertake mitigation on non-DoD land as it states to avoid, minimize, replace, or compensate impacts if implemented by the Navy or other DoD agencies. The DEIS does say that the feds plan to negotiate a long-term lease instead of purchasing non-federally funded-controlled land.

Although the public comments will be taken into consideration once the 90-day review period is up, the DEIS states that the military does intend to revise community plans to address the proposed DoD land uses.

Vice-Speaker issues report on land leasing

Vice-Speaker issues report on land leasing

Posted: Dec 06, 2009 2:09 PM
Updated: Dec 06, 2009 2:09 PM

by Michele Catahay

Guam - Vice-Speaker BJ Cruz issued a report on Bill 66, a measure he authored that calls for 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 Commission to accommodate the buildup.

According to a release from Cruz's office, he says with the release of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement, the public is now informed to vote on the issue. He says the need for a vote includes reasons such as the increase in population beyond initial projects and the drain in resources.

Improve physical, social environment first

Improve physical, social environment first

By Pat Wolff • December 6, 2009



While our island's business leaders at the Chamber of Commerce and Guam Hotel & Restaurant Association are focused on the economic benefits of the military buildup, those of us in the social service trenches are more concerned with the social and cultural impacts.

I am reminded of a recent East West Center headline, "Re-thinking Development: Gross National Happiness vs. Gross National Product." I am not suggesting it must be an either-or choice, but I believe the prioritization of values is essential, and that when push comes to shove, our island's social fabric is more important.

The niche areas which concern me the most fall into two categories:

# Green spaces and environmental safeguards for healthy living and the creation/maintenance of adequate recreational parks, marine resources and fitness facilities -- especially safe walking/biking paths, playgrounds, ballparks and gymnasiums.

# Addressing the anticipated increase in conflict on our island by ensuring:

1. Preventative conflict resolution training in schools, workplaces and on the village level, to reduce, as much as possible, the escalation of disputes into violence, increased litigation and racial tension.

2. Peacemaking interveners, like Inafa' Maolek, are brought into the planning process so that we have the capacity and infrastructure support to intervene in a timely manner, and so that our mediator pool's size and diversity reflect our changing community.

3. Shady businesses, such as prostitution, adult bookstores and gambling are kept out to the fullest extent possible. Recent legislation against alcohol in our public parks is a positive move as well.

What good is it to increase our island's revenues if we have nowhere safe to enjoy it?

Pat Wolff is the founder of Inafa' Maolek.

Guam not ready today, even less for buildup

Guam not ready today, even less for buildup

By Gerhard Schwab • December 6, 2009

Before we ask what needs to change for the human services sector to be ready for the military buildup, we need to ask why our human services of today still are not fully prepared to deal with the social problems associated with Guam's buildup during the past 30 years.

In this time period, the population in Guam almost doubled, from 105,979 in 1980 to about 200,000 expected in the 2010 Census. Although we had three decades to adjust our human services to the increased population and to the socioeconomic changes in Guam, we cannot help but feel "mamalao" and frustrated when federal courts intervene to enforce the delivery and quality of basic public social services, when children in private and public child welfare organizations experience neglect and abuse, when hard-working families do not have the health care and family support they need to care for their elderly and sick family members, when our best local social service professionals leave Guam because of poor working conditions and/or lack of support and resources for their work, when ... when ...

If we, despite the many hard-working caring, and professionally competent people in the human service field still cannot get our human services competent enough to fully address today's social problems, then it is safe to expect that we shall be even less prepared for the planned military buildup.

The magnitude of changes proposed by the military planners are unprecedented in our community; the rate of speed and lack of local input and control in the planning process do not allow an accurate forecasting and planning for the social consequences and problems associated with the military buildup.

Because we are not ready for today, and even less ready for tomorrow, we need to look at the societal, structural factors that produce and maintain our social problems. In order to prevent the increase of social problems, we need to reduce the forces that produce social problems in the various realms of our lives. In other words, slow down and make the military buildup incremental and contingent on the achievement of critical communal quality of life indicators; such as political self-determination, education, health, housing and employment.

Hence, the military buildup only should be allowed to proceed, if:

# A timeline for the exercise of political self-determination of the Chamorro people is agreed upon and gradually implemented;

# The federal government allocates resources to gradually raise the funding levels of Guam's public schools to the same funding levels as military schools;

# A health-care plan is developed and approved to guarantee all residents of Guam access to health-care facilities equally well-equipped and resourced as Guam's military hospital;

# A set of public policies ensures that the quality of housing inside and outside the military fences equally meets human needs; and

# Buildup construction projects are linked with investments into the development of a sustainable local work force.

Gerhard Schwab, Ph.D. is a professor of social work at the University of Guam.

Troop transition brings big power demands

Troop transition brings big power demands

Posted: Dec 05, 2009 1:57 PM
Updated: Dec 05, 2009 1:57 PM

by Michele Catahay

Guam - The movement of thousands of U.S. Marines and their dependents will mean an increase in power demand. The Guam Power Authority is currently looking at the positive and negative impacts the buildup will have on power supply on island.

The Guam Power Authority has been meeting with officials from the Joint Guam Program Office to discuss what's being proposed for the buildup. The bottom lines, says agency spokesman Art Perez, is that GPA is looking to the Department of Defense to fork out the funds to support such a growth in population.

"It's been our position and the [Consolidated Commission on Utilities'] that growth should pay for growth. Those having an impact on the existing community should pay for that impact and that position has not changed. The plans that we provide through JGPO shows that we can deliver power service to their door step," Perez explained.

According to JGPO's Draft Environmental Impact Statement, the estimated total Marine Corps demand is 20.94 megawatts - with the total DoD demand being 123.63 megawatts. It's clear that much work needs to be done to meet the demand anticipated to occur as early as 2015. Perez adds that the ultimate goal is to ensure all communities benefit from the move.

"The EIS also shows there is also going to be a civilian impact with the amount of workforce that will be coming in, the federal employees that may come to Guam, and the families if they live off-base. It will have an impact on the existing civilian community."

Long-term alternatives include the construction of a new power plant at Cabras or even at Potts Junction in Dededo. Another one involves for GPA to provide the financing and planning for the power generation system. Here GPA would be responsible to plan and implement the necessary generation expansion to support the load. Perez says GPA will be prepared to move forward if in fact they receive the money needed to make such upgrades to the system.

"[At] GPA, plans are already in place. Getting power through their doorstep, there's no problem. It's now a matter of who's paying for it and from what I gather, they're not opposed to paying for the impact. It's just what that cost will be," he said. "In terms of reliability, if it means upgrading substations, then that means power quality to all circuits tied into that will see a significant of power quality, less power outages, better voltage control in the surrounding area."

As for whether building more power plants is the answer, Perez says they would have to look and see whether such a move would work. "What we need to do is see how that could tie into our power system. You just don't put a power plant anywhere. There's permitting and GPA has over a hundred megawatts of reserve right now. What we need to do, is make sure whatever additional load we may have not only meet that load, but plan for our overhauls and maintenance activities," he added.

CNMI challenged by Marines' relocation

CNMI challenged by Marines' relocation

Posted: Dec 04, 2009 7:39 PM PST
by Michele Catahay

Guam - CNMI Governor Benigno Fitial says he says the relocation of thousands of U.S. Marines and their dependents to Guam will present numerous opportunities for the people of the CNMI. "We are looking at the military buildup project to benefit the CNMI in terms of employment and that is what we are discussing," he said.

FOCUS: Ozawa's power, Hatoyama's ulterior motives lie behind Futemma delay

FOCUS: Ozawa's power, Hatoyama's ulterior motives lie behind Futemma delay

December 05 2009 16:27
TOKYO, Dec. 5 KYODO

Behind Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama's indecisiveness on the future of a U.S. military base in Okinawa Prefecture seems to be the firm determination of his former boss, Ichiro Ozawa, to keep a grip on parliament and even a bigger ulterior motive of the two politicians.

Hatoyama, head of the ruling Democratic Party of Japan, has put on hold a decision on where to relocate the U.S. Marine Corps' Futemma Air Station, as the leader of a junior partner in the coalition has threatened to leave it if the DPJ goes ahead and moves the base within the prefecture under the existing Japan-U.S. deal.

The threat by Social Democratic Party leader Mizuho Fukushima came as Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada and Defense Minister Toshimi Kitazawa were seeking to solve the relocation issue by the end of this year.

Hatoyama is putting more weight on maintaining power in parliament over the already soured relationship with Washington, which has pressed Japan to resolve it quickly and move the Futemma base in line with the accord.

The DPJ, which won a landslide victory in the August election for the House of Representatives, had to form a coalition with two small partners despite differences over security and foreign policies, as it needs their cooperation in the House of Councillors.

Speculation is now growing that a decision on the U.S. base issue will not be made until after next year's upper house election, in which the DPJ is widely expected to secure a majority and it can decisively break off what appears to be an awkward coalition.

Political observers say that behind the delay is DPJ Secretary General Ozawa who is widely believed to have wielded his influence behind the scenes over the Hatoyama government since its launch in mid-September.

According to sources close to Ozawa, he has pressured the prime minister's office and Defense Minister Kitazawa to deal with the relocation issue in a way that would not result in the collapse of the coalition.

At the upper house, the DPJ currently holds less than a majority and needs to join hands with the two parties -- the SDP and the People's New Party -- to ensure smooth passage of legislation.

Eiken Itagaki, an independent political analyst who is well-versed in DPJ politics, said that Ozawa warned that the government needs to avoid what the previous Liberal Democratic Party-led government had gone through in a divided parliament.

But there is also a view among some pundits that Hatoyama simply used the coalition partner's threat as a reason for delaying a decision, as he himself hopes to move not just the Futemma air station but also the entire U.S. military facility outside Okinawa or even outside the country and wanted to take time to find a better solution.

Since the DPJ was in the opposition camp, Hatoyama has repeatedly made comments to that effect.

''I truly wonder if it is appropriate that a military of another country will continue to station in this country forever,'' he said a few weeks after taking office in mid-September.

Kazuhiro Asano, professor in politics at Sapporo University, said should the DPJ kick the SDP out of the coalition after the election, ''I don't think Prime Minister Hatoyama will decide to move the Futemma facility to Henoko.''

Under the 2006 deal, Tokyo and Washington agreed to transfer the Futemma air station, which currently sits in the center of a residential area in the city of Ginowan, to the coastal area of the Henoko district in Nago, another Okinawa city, by 2014.

Hatoyama has indicated that he wants to wait and see the results of the Nago city mayoral election scheduled for January to determine the will of local voters before making any decision on the relocation.

''He is looking for evidence and reasons that would help him decide to move the base outside the prefecture,'' Asano of Sapporo University said.

Ozawa, a former DPJ chief, is also against hosting another country's military in Japan and once advocated for the stationing of a United Nations-sponsored military for the defense of the country.

Itagaki said both Ozawa and Hatoyama are truly seeking a foreign policy stance that depends less on the United States and more on close relationships with such other countries as China and Russia, as promised in the party's campaign pledges.

Ozawa has once expressed the view that the role of the U.S. military in Japan should be trimmed down, saying the U.S. Navy's 7th Fleet based in Yokosuka would be ''enough for the U.S. presence in the Far East.''

At the bottom of it, the foreign policy that Ozawa and Hatoyama are pursuing over a long term is not so different from that of Fukushima, chief of the pacifist, leftist SDP, the analyst said, suggesting that the DPJ may end up keeping the party in the coalition even after the upper house election.

Recently floated ideas include transferring the Futemma facility to the U.S. territory of Guam, a Japanese coastal airport or a remote island, according to several government sources.

U.S. dismisses base issue's adverse impact on ties with Japan

U.S. dismisses base issue's adverse impact on ties with Japan

Dec 4 04:01 PM US/Eastern

WASHINGTON, Dec. 4 (AP) - (Kyodo) — The United States brushed aside concerns that a row with Japan over where to relocate a major U.S. military airfield in Okinawa Prefecture could have decisively detrimental effects on overall relations between the two allies.

"I think our relationship is just so broad and so deep...We of course have expressed what our concerns are. But we have a mature relationship with Japan. They are one of our most important allies," a senior State Department official told reporters.

The remarks came after the United States voiced concerns Friday as Japan appears unable to draw a conclusion on where the U.S. Marine Corps' Futemma Air Station should go by the year-end.

At a minister-level working group meeting on the Futemma base transfer, the United States warned that if no decision is made by the Japanese government on the matter soon, the situation will get worse and adversely affect the entire package of a 2006 Japan-U.S. accord on U.S. forces realignment, Japanese officials said.

The working group was set up to quickly find a solution to the thorny issue of where to relocate the Futemma airfield, and both Japanese Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada and Defense Minister Toshimi Kitazawa had stressed the need to settle the matter by the year-end.

Under the 2006 agreement, heliport functions of the Futemma facility, which sits in a crowded residential area in Ginowan, central Okinawa, will be moved to the Marines' Camp Schwab in the less populated city of Nago, northern Okinawa, by 2014.

The accord also involves transferring 8,000 Marines from Okinawa to the U.S. territory of Guam.