Community Response to the Environmental Impact Statement
The following press statement is a release from the Guahan Coalition for Peace and Justice, a community collective of educators, students, artists, and others committed to responding and acting on issues that affect our community, our island, and our region.
The Guahan Coalition for Peace and Justice is leading a community response federal government’s Environmental Impact Statement, due for release on Fri. Nov. 20th. The EIS is an 11,000-page document regarding the environmental impacts that will be experienced due to the military-buildup and the government is giving the community 90 days to respond – definitely not enough time for the community to respond.
I can barely find the time to read a 600-page textbook in college, 11,000 pages and 90 days to respond? Seriously?
For Immediate Release
from the Guåhan Coalition for Peace and Justice
November 18, 2009
EIS Process Worthy of Protest
Community to Respond this Friday
The Guåhan Coalition for Peace and Justice will lead the community in a response to the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) scheduled for release this Friday, November 20.
The EIS is expected to report the impacts the proposed military build-up and population boom will have on Guam’s environment. However, it was not conducted in a manner that demonstrated a true assessment of the social, cultural and political implications an increased military presence will have on the island’s people. Local residents and their elected officials were largely excluded from the process of gathering information and making recommendations for this study.
The EIS is an 11,000-page document, and the community will have 90 days to respond. This does not provide a sufficient opportunity for local residents to thoroughly investigate its findings and voice their concerns. The Department of Defense is already finalizing their plans for the build-up, without first taking into consideration the comments and concerns from local residents and leaders. An 11,000-page visual will be presented at Friday’s event to represent the enormity of the EIS.
The Coalition, which is made up of grassroots organizations and individuals advocating for the political, cultural, social, environmental and human rights for the people of Guam, will gather at 4 p.m. Friday at the ITC intersection in Tamuning to express these and other concerns about the EIS.
When: Friday, November 20, 2009, 4 p.m. – 7 p.m.
Where: ITC Intersection
What: A Community Action Response to the Release of the EIS
Who: Guåhan Coaltion for Peace and Justice
For More Information: Call Victoria-Lola Leon Guerrero at 735-2747 or email reclaimguahan@gmail.com
Kel, how about naming it Fanohge Chamoru? The only thing is the announcer might have problems with the pronunciation. 
Yes Miget and Linda, I do concur. She does win for PURE CUTENESS! Hmmm...you just gave me an idea - ...
too adorable! 
Hafa Adai Lillian,
I came across this trying to confirm the word "yanggen." After reading this I felt compelled to ...
Comment by Jayton Okada on 19 November 2009:
For those interested in the EIS, the EIS will be available for download and review Friday/Saturday-ish on the Joint Guam Program Office’s EIS website @ http://www.guambuildupeis.us/
Comment by Michael Lujan Bevacqua on 24 November 2009:
Si Yu’us Ma’ase to Jayton and everyone else who made the demonstration a big success. We had over two hundred people show up over the course of the afternoon, which is a very respectable size crowd for a Guam protest that is not being organized by the Archbishop or by a Gubernatorial team.
Another event is being planned for next week or the following week.
Comment by Michael Lujan Bevacqua on 7 December 2009:
Here’s a blog post from the protest, which has some good pictures.
http://thedrowningmermaid.blogspot.com/2009/11/honk-if-you-hear-me.html
I’ll also be uploading some pictures on my blog soon too.