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Leaders sound off during field oversight hearing
It marks for the first time in close to thirty years that a congressional hearing has been held on Guam. Today the House Subcommittee on Insular Affairs held its field oversight hearing on the proposed military buildup and the challenges facing the local community. The main point that seemed to be hammered home during this field oversight hearing time and time again was that Guam wants to and needs to have a seat at the table.
Governor Felix Camacho says the Government of Guam must be included in the planning of the relocation of U.S. Marines to Guam. He announced, "We are relevant and credible stakeholders in this entire process, and although it is a bilateral agreement on specific discussions such as infrastructure, that's where it's got to be: a tri-party type of discussion where input can be taken from our commission on utilities."
In fact, the chairman of the Consolidated Commission on Utilities, Simon Sanchez, brought up concerns that the island's infrastructure experts at the Guam Power Authority and the Guam Waterworks Authority have not had any formal meetings with officials from the Department of Defense or anyone involved with the relocation of troops from Okinawa. "Primarily we're entertaining visitors, visitors from Japan and visitors from the U.S. saying, 'Hey, what about this, what about that?' It's questions and answers - what's not happening is active engagement where we're planning together," he testified.
According to Sanchez, he's heard that some $700 million may be available out of Japan's $6 billion. Sanchez says Guam's local government and the federal government need to work together to pool all available funding together whether it be $700 million from Japan, DoD money, grant monies, or local funds. "We're being polite, everybody's being polite," Sanchez, a former local senator, surmised. "Well, we need to move from polite to hard work so we can get this money rolling and get it into the ground and start helping people."
And while there were many concerns brought up regarding how to prepare Guam's infrastructure for the coming increase in population, the lone representative of the Legislature, Senator Judi Won Pat (D) is concerned about resolving outstanding issues like war reparations and self-determination. "Even before we can talk about anything with this military buildup, we need to settle some of these injustices or past wrongs that have been done to the people of Guam and once we do, that I think the people of Guam will be a little bit more comfortable and will be able to move forward."
Guam Congresswoman Madeleine Bordallo and U.S. Virgin Islands Congresswoman Donna Christiansen are heading to the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands next where they'll conduct a similar field oversight hearing. Parts of the CNMI are expected to be used as potential training sites for the Marines. In fact, according to Navy Captain Robert Lee, director of the forward Joint Guam Program Office, about two-thirds of Tinian is currently leased by the United States Government.
The panel is now on its way to Saipan. And if you think the relocation of U.S. Marines is a touchy issue here on Guam, the possible federalization of immigration in the CNMI is sending shockwaves through the community with our neighbors to the north. The Subcommittee on Insular Affairs will hold its field hearing on HR 30-79 this Wednesday, now this legislation extends U.S. immigration laws and provide the CNMI with a non-voting delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives.
The hearing is being held in the CNMI's Supreme Court Building, and like on Guam those who will testify are by invitation only.
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