by Nick Delgado

Guam - The We Are Guahan Coalition is hardly surprised with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's concerns with the Draft Environmental Impact Statement. The organization, like many other residents and elected leaders, has expressed serious concerns with how the DEIS was conducted and specifically the impacts the current plan for the buildup would have on island residents.

We Are Guahan member Attorney Leevin Camacho says they were surprised that the USEPA threatened to refer their concerns to the Council on Environmental Quality, which is a rare occurrence, if the concerns were not addressed in the final EIS.

"It was a little bit surprising that they gave it the lowest possible ratings based on the water supply and wastewater issues, as well as the damage to the reef that is projected to occur because of the buildup. It was a shock that they came out that strongly, but it wasn't a surprise as far as the issues that were identified," said Camacho.

He also added that even if the official comment period for the DEIS is over, We Are Guahan will continue efforts to educate the public about their concerns with the proposed military buildup and the flaws they identified in the DEIS.