Groups file appeal to burn, detonate munitions on northern Guam beaches

Deny! Deny! Deny! Members of Prutehi Litekyan: Save Ritidian and Earthjustice echoing that message to the Guam Environment Protection Agency For the Air Force’s permit application to openly burn and detonate waste munitions on Guam’s northern beaches. This as the Guam EPA board is set to meet this week to discuss the issue.

Today, the group filed an appeal with the Ninth Circuit Court fighting the District Court of Guam chief judge’s dismissal of the lawsuit they brought against the military.

Prutehi Litekyan: Save Ritidian and Earthjustice on Tuesday morning filing its appeal against Chief Judge Frances Tydingco-Gatewood’s recent dismissal of their the civil lawsuit against the Air Force’s open burning and open detonation of waste munitions on the military base.

David Henkin with Earthjustice said, "The Air Force hasn’t lived up to legal standards that would be necessary to carry out this type of activity in Guam and it’s incumbent on Guam EPA’s job to protect the people." He is confident they will win the appeal.

Thien Chau is also with organization focused on defending the planet. "We respectfully disagree with the District Court and how that decision turned out. Under the National Environmental Policy Act, the Air Force had an obligation before it took any action to further its plans and blow up bombs in the open air and on the sand of Tarague Beach to study the environmental impacts as well as alternatives," said Chau.

He contends this act has been applied for decades, and argues - deny the permit – Guam EPA.

"It could do so right now. There is no reason, no excuse for this permit to continue pending. As it’s pending, the Air Force continues to do open detonation, open burning under its expired permit," he said.

Monaeka Flores is expected to speak out at the board meeting on Thursday. "They are putting our community at risk and so the Guam EPA board, although they are not able to vote to approve or deny that permit, we really want to approach them to ask them, to urge Guam EPA to deny that permit," she said.

In the meantime, the military continues to decline comment on the ongoing issue. Guam EPA also has yet to take action on the Air Force’s permit application.