by Michele Catahay

Guam - Although he credits Governor Felix Camacho for sending a request to the feds to postpone the military buildup, Senator Ben Pangelinan says even if the troop migration happens later, Guam will still see negative impacts to the environment. "The problem is that all the destruction to the environment is going to happen on the front-end," said the senator.

He continued, "So whether the Marines come in 2016 or 2014, the way the buildup is planned under this Draft Environmental Impact Statement still says we need to destroy all these things. Still doesn't provide us for the mitigations, still doesn't provide us with the support for our side. So whether they come now or later under this plan, we still are not able to deal with this and the cost will still outweigh the benefits."

Pangelinan says he wants to ensure the people of Guam are able to provide comments even after the final EIS comes out and before a record of decision is signed.