Guam - The Guam Preservation Trust and We Are Guahan, joined by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, have filed suit against the Department of Defense for the selection of Pagat Village for a firing range complex.  During a press conference this morning, trust officials announced a complaint had been filed in Honolulu, where the environmental review process was coordinated by the Navy.

The action seeks to compel the Department of the Navy to comply with the National Environmental Policy Act, the National Historic Preservation Act and the Coastal Zone Management Act.  Specifically the organizations have taken issue with the DoD's decision to use Pagat Village, identified as one of the 11 Most Endangered Historic Sites by the National Trust, for five firing ranges encompassing 1,090 acres of Pagat. 

Officials made it clear that the lawsuit does not challenge the buildup itself but instead seeks the DoD's compliance with federal mandates to give adequate consideration to alternative locations for the firing ranges.