by Ken Quintanilla

Guam - Military Buildup chairperson Senator Judi Guthertz says the Environmental Impact Statement published by the government of Japan speaks well of that country's leadership and its commitment in moving the buildup forward. The EIS on the Futenma Replacement Facility is one of four ingredients that must be addressed before the buildup can actually move forward as set forth by the U.S. Senate in the National Defense Authorization Act.

"The Japan element is moving," she explained. "It's not complete because you still have to get the buy-in of the people of Okinawa to accept this relocation plan for Futenma then these other three elements must be facilitated by Department of Defense, so they have a lot of homework."

The other elements are a completion of a Guam military buildup master plan by the DoD, a new independent evaluation of Pacific-Asian security needs and a statement and signature of the Marine Corps general noting the Marine relocation to Guam is essential for the security of the Western Pacific Region and our allies in Asia. Although she has yet to translate the EIS because it was in Japanese, she hopes it addresses the environmental issues concerning the people of Okinawa including impacts on water species.