Page 3 of 4 Fortress Guam resists US military buildup
By LisaLinda Natividad and Gwyn Kirk
The incidence of cancer in Guam is high and Chamorros have significantly higher
rates than other ethnic groups. Cancer mortality rates for 2003-2007 showed
that Chamorro incidence rates from cancer of the mouth and pharynx,
nasopharynx, lung and bronchus, cervix, uterus, and liver were all higher than
US rates. Chamorros living on Guam also have the highest incidence of diabetes
compared to other ethnic groups, and this is about five times the overall US
rate.
The entire island was affected by toxic contamination following the "Bravo"
hydrogen bomb test in the Marshall Islands in 1954. Up to 20 years later, from
1968 to 1974, Guam had higher yearly rainfall measures of strontium 90 compared
to Majuro (Marshall Islands). In the 1970s, Guam's Cocos Island lagoon was used
to wash
down ships contaminated with radiation that had been in the Marshall Islands as
part of an attempt to clean up the islands. Guam's representative, Madeleine
Bordallo, introduced a bill in Congress in March 2009, to amend the Radiation
Exposure Compensation Act (RECA) to include the territory of Guam in the list
of affected "downwinder" areas with respect to atmospheric nuclear testing in
Micronesia (HR 1630).
In April 2010, Senator Tom Udall introduced an amendment to RECA with the
inclusion of Guam for downwinders' compensation. While these initiatives have
been the priority of the Pacific Association for Radiation Survivors for over
five years now, people on Guam have yet to receive compensation for their
suffering. The territory currently qualifies for RECA compensation in the
"onsite-participants" category but not for downwind exposure.
Andersen AFB has been a source of toxic contamination through dumpsites and
leaching of chemicals into the underground aquifer beneath the base. Two
dumpsites just outside the base at Urunao were found to contain antimony,
arsenic, barium, cadmium, lead, manganese, dioxin, deteriorated ordnance and
explosive, and PCBs. Other areas have been affected by Vietnam-war use of the
defoliants Agent Orange and Agent Purple used for aerial spraying, which were
stored in drums on the island. Although many of the toxic sites on bases are
being cleaned up, this is not necessarily the case for toxic sites outside the
bases.
The Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) regarding the military build-up
was released in November 2009, a nine-volume document totaling some 11,000
pages, to be absorbed and evaluated within a 90-day public comment period. In
response, there was an outpouring of community concern expressed in town hall
meetings, community events, and letters to the press. Despite its length, the
DEIS scarcely addressed questions of social impact, and it contains significant
contradictions and false findings that were exposed in public comments and in
the media. Some stated plans contained in the DEIS were outright flawed, as
admitted by a DoD consultant.
Several major concerns have been raised with respect to the following issues:
the impact of up to nearly 80,000 additional people on land, infrastructure and
services; the "acquisition" of 2,200 acres for military use; the impact of
dredging 70 acres of vibrant coral reef for a nuclear aircraft carrier berth;
and the extent to which the much-touted economic growth would benefit local
communities.
Impacts of population increase
A top estimate for increased population is nearly 80,000, a 47% increase over
current levels; including troops, support staff, contractors, family members,
and foreign construction workers. Proponents emphasize that the construction
workers constitute a transient labor force that will leave when their contracts
are over.
Others argue that some will stay, marry, have children, and hope to get other
work, as happened during the last major period of military construction in the
1970s. These people will be an added burden on local services that are already
stretched to capacity because they will be housed off-base, will not use
on-base medical services, and will be consumers of the island's infrastructural
resources.
Impacts on land and ocean
The military seeks to acquire an additional 2,200 acres of private and public
land, which would bring its land holdings to 40% of the island. Included in the
lands ear-marked for acquisition is the oldest Chamorro village of Pagat,
registered at the Department of Historic Preservation as an archaeological
site, with ancient latte stones of great cultural significance.
The marines propose to use the higher land, above the historic site, for live
fire training but seek to control the entire area, from the higher land down to
the ocean, where there are beautiful beaches. This proposal, described as
"sacrilege" by local people, would restrict their access to the site to just
seven weeks out of the year. The military already has a live-fire range on Guam
and also on Tinian, where it controls nearly two-thirds of the island through
leases with the government of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands
(CNMI). Many community members argue that the military, which already controls
a third of the land area of Guam, should stay within this existing "footprint".
A key question is whether the DoD would purchase, lease, or use powers of
eminent domain to acquire land identified in the DEIS. Addressing the Guam
Legislature on February 16, 2010, congresswoman Bordallo formally opposed the
use of eminent domain for the acquisition of lands. Speaking of Nelson family
clan land designated for acquisition, Gloria Nelson, former director of the
Department of Education, stated in a DoD-sponsored public hearing on the
Marianas Build-Up, "I don't want to talk about the market value of my land
because my land is not on the market."
Another highly controversial proposal is the creation of a berth for a nuclear
aircraft carrier, which will involve the detonation and removal of 70 acres of
vibrant coral reef in Apra Harbor. Environmentalists and local communities
oppose this on the grounds that coral provides habitat for a rich diversity of
marine life and is endangered worldwide.
Environmentalists also question how the disposal of huge quantities of dredged
material would affect ocean life and warn that such invasive dredging may
spread contaminants that have been left undisturbed in deep-water areas of the
harbor. Opposition to this plan has been expressed by the Guam Fishermen's
Cooperative and the US-based Center for Biological Diversity. On February 24,
2010, Guam Senator Judith Guthertz wrote a letter to the Secretary of the Navy,
Ray Mabus, reiterating her proposal that the existing fuel pier that has been
used by the USS Kitty Hawk be used as the site for the additional
berthing to avoid the proposed dredging of Apra Harbor. Such an alternative
plan would avoid the destruction of acres of live coral.
Economic costs and benefits
Since the announcement of the relocation plan to transfer 8,000 Marines and
their dependents from Okinawa to Guam, the general sentiment shared by the
media and members of the island's business community is that the transfer would
stimulate the local economy.
In January 2010, the Guam Chamber of Commerce published a white paper entitled,
"An Opportunity that Benefits Us All: A Straightforward, Descriptive Paper on
Why We Need the Military Buildup." Among the benefits presented are
opportunities for the creation of employment, fostering business and
entrepreneurship, the generation of revenues, and the expansion of tourism.
The overall cost of the buildup has been estimated at $10-15 billion. The DEIS
makes it clear that this money is solely for new military construction on
existing bases, on newly acquired lands, or for the expansion of a road to
connect the bases. The DEIS assumes that most construction jobs will go to
contract workers from Hawaii, the Philippines, or other Pacific-island nations,
who can be expected to send most of their earnings as remittances to families
back home. Military personnel are likely to spend much of their money on-base.
An economist at the University of Guam, Claret Ruane, published a paper
examining the macroeconomic multipliers used in the DEIS to compute projected
economic growth as a result of the military buildup. It states, " ... that
economic studies that use Hawaii's spending multiplier tend to present a rosier
picture of the positive economic impacts of proposed changes". Ruane recomputes
the multiplier and suggests that while the DEIS reflects the highest gains at
$1.08 billion in 2014, a more realistic estimate is $374 million in the same
year. It is noteworthy that 2014 is the year with the highest expected impact
on the Gross Island Product.
The Guam Economic Development Authority estimated costs to local government at
around $1 billion although the governor has said this is more likely to be $2-3
billion. More recently, it has been reported that the island will need $3-4
billion to upgrade its utilities infrastructure. While grants have recently
been awarded to the Government of Guam for infrastructural upgrades, they do
not begin to cover the costs necessary for the anticipated population influx.
Additional negative impacts include increased noise, worse traffic congestion,
and higher rental prices. As local people earn considerably less than military
personnel, they will be crowded out of the rental market. Other potential
problems include the likely increase in crime and prostitution, increased
dependence on the US, and an undermining of Chamorro culture and right to
self-determination.
Shift in leadership stance
Both Congressional Representative Bordallo and Governor Felix Camacho have
wavered in their positions after hearing the outpouring of popular opinion. At
the start of the DEIS process, Bordallo was quiet about concerns in the
proposed DoD plan. After attending town hall meetings for two days where people
passionately shared personal testimonies, she listed several significant
stipulations in her address to the Guam Legislature on February 16, 2010
stating that she will do the following:
Support limiting all military expansion to Defense Department properties on
island.
Oppose any federal effort to acquire additional land by eminent domain.
Challenge aircraft carrier berth plans that will result in significant loss of
coral.
Call for increased federal assistance and a clear strategy for improving the
island's roads, schools, water and wastewater, and Guam's only seaport to
support the buildup.
Oppose drilling any new wells to accommodate the Marine relocation until an
independent assessment is made about the capacity of the northern aquifer.
Argue that all contract workers must be housed on-base. Any proposal to house
guest workers outside the gates must address their impact on civilian
infrastructure such as water, wastewater and power.
Argue that all contract workers must use military health and other facilities.
The study on the socioeconomic impacts of the buildup must be rewritten to
address these impacts.
Nonetheless, congresswoman Bordallo framed her remarks by reminding residents
of the need to work together to address these challenges because of the
buildup's importance to the region. "We are not embarking on this buildup
solely for economic reasons. We are doing this because we appreciate more than
any other American community our liberation and our freedom and the sacrifices
it will take to preserve that freedom for generations to come".
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