Pangelinan wants refund for buildup expenses

by Nick Delgado

Guam - Senator Ben Pangelinan sent a letter to Congresswoman Madeleine Bordallo requesting an amendment to the Fiscal Year 2011 Defense Authorization Act, which would require a percentage of military construction projects to be covered over to the Government of Guam as reimbursement for all expenses incurred relating to the military buildup.

Pangelinan states, "By default, the Government of Guam is funding the work of local regulatory agencies to investigate, plan and regulate activity related to the military buildup.  In this respect, the federal government treats Guam like an advanced industrial nation, such as Japan, that has the ability and authority to print money.  We are a tiny island with limited resources that cannot afford to fund all the additional local regulatory activity required as a result of the bilateral agreement between the United States and Japan."

Pangelinan is confident that Congress will agree that Guam cannot afford to absorb additional underfunded regulatory activity for the relocation of U.S. Marines.