Governor Felix P. Camacho sent the island’s comments on the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) to the Department of the Navy today. The comments include technical and policy concerns by local government agencies as well as individuals from the community, all of which the governor has asked be added to the official comment record for review and consideration prior to release of the Record of Decision (ROD).

The governor’s letter also outlined several ongoing concerns with the military buildup, many of which were also included in his response letter to the draft EIS. “While the number of comments regarding the FEIS pales in comparison to the thousands of responses received during the draft EIS process, please make no mistake by believing that our people have suddenly embraced this plan with just a few issues of concern requiring attention,” said Gov. Camacho.

The governor stated that the Department of the Navy must address these critical concerns. “Moreover, these additional comments were submitted because it is believed that many of the issues raised during the draft EIS process were not properly addressed or were simply ignored,” said the governor.

Gov. Camacho went on to reiterate that the military buildup must not require any additional land outside of what has been proposed since 2006. “This is generally supported by our people. But recent discussions have indicated a change in this policy which is not compatible with our goal of having the Guahan Military Buildup Plan benefit those inside and outside the fence,” said the governor.

Governor Camacho closed his letter by saying, “The people of Guahan understand the security needs of our nation, but those needs must be balanced with Guahan’s abiding responsibility to preserve our culture, protect our environment, and foster a better life for Guahan’s future generations.”