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Governor's Congressional Testimony on HR 3940 |
HR 3940-To authorize the Secretary of the Interior to extend grants and other assistance to facilitate a political status public education program for the people of Guam Testimony presented to the Subcommittee on Insular Affairs, Oceans and Wildlife, U.S. House of Representatives by
Felix Perez Camacho
Governor of Guam
Madam Chairwoman and members of the Committee, thank you for this opportunity to participate in his hearing on the introduction of legislation that seeks to clarify the authority of the Secretary of the Interior in allowing him to extend technical assistance to our island to facilitate a political status public education program for the people of Guam. Guam’s political status has been an issue of substantive debate in every decade since the 1930s. The People of Guam through its commission on self-determination held four referenda on the subject of our political status. Though a commonwealth document was drafted, ratified by the people of Guam and introduced in Congress four different times from 1989 to 1997; the document was never reported out of its Congressional Committee. Since then, Guam and its tourism based economy have survived super typhoons, earthquakes, the bursting of the Asian economic bubble, a SARS epidemic, the turmoil in our nation’s economy, and the H1N1 influenza virus. Each of these challenges has forced the government of Guam to meet our mandate of basic services amid a climate of ever dwindling financial resources. As this committee knows too well, governing amid tough economic times requires that we set priorities and make tough fiscal decisions. Though the move of U.S. Marines from Okinawa to Guam will usher in a new era of economic prosperity for the people of Guam, much of the Guam Military Buildup Program’s initial requirements will mandate a significant commitment of local resources – resources we presently do not have. This is why HR 3940 is so vital to our self-determination effort. |
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Governor Camacho: “We’re Here to Roll up Our Sleeves and Find a Way” |
OEA and Interior urge federal consideration of funding for Guam’s buildup priorities November 5, 2009  Orlando, Fla. - Governor Felix P. Camacho met with 15 federal agency principals to discuss the military buildup on Guam, the challenges facing the island in response to the buildup, the need for partnerships, and the roles of stakeholders during the 2009 Defense Community Conference. “My job is to ensure that in the end, the integration of this project into the fabric of our community will make Guam a better place. That is why I am here today - to expand the partnership we created with the Department of Defense to now more effectively include the other agencies of the federal government that we need assistance from,” said Gov. Camacho. The 2009 Defense Community Conference, convened by the Office of Economic Adjustment (OEA), included leaders from the U.S. departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Education, Interior, Labor, Transportation, and Defense, as well as the Environmental Protection Agency and the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs. Officials discussed Gov. Camacho’s Prioritized Capital Improvement Project (CIP) Fiscal Year 2010 listing, which federal officials reviewed at the request of the OEA. Interior echoed the request and further encouraged agencies to consider how Gov. Camacho’s priorities can be addressed under their current programmatic funding. The continuation of these high-level meetings for Guam was encouraged by Interior officials and other federal leaders who noted that the Obama Administration has elevated the Guam Buildup and that responses from various federal agencies to the governor’s Prioritized FY2010 listing are already taking place. “We have completed our infrastructural plans, and we need to implement those plans. However, without the means to do so, we will not succeed,” said Gov. Camacho. “Just in shear population impacts, consider how each of your communities would contend with an expansion in population of nearly one-third in four years.” Gov. Camacho seized the opportunity to express concern regarding U.S. EPA’s required secondary water treatment and the potential negative impact it would have to the island. During the conference, Labor and Education department officials expressed commitment to capacity building and enhancement within Guam’s agency programs. “The people of Guam are committed to making this process work, but we simply do not have the capacity to realize what is necessary on our own. We are seeking the expertise of those here today to help us find a way to make this enormous undertaking work for Guam and the military,” said Gov. Camacho. “This process must be balanced and fair.” |
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Governor to Attend 2009 Defense Community Conference |
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Governor will join stateside governors in fiscal and transportation panels
November 2, 2009
Governor Felix P. Camacho will be joining state and community leaders, Department of Defense (DoD) and military officials, and senior administration and federal agency officials during a conference hosted by the DoD and the Office of Economic Adjustment (OEA).
The conference will bring together states and communities partnering with DoD and federal civilian agencies to share best practices, confront impediments to success, and explore opportunities for further collaboration.
Gov. Camacho was invited to participate in two panels that will foster dialogue on transportation and fiscal challenges.
“This conference will draw many key individuals who need to hear what our island is challenged with in light of the buildup,” said Governor Camacho. “I will be sitting with other stateside governors in two critical panels. I plan to share the difficulties that confront our transportation and fiscal status, and the need for greater assistance moving forward.”
According to the conference’s web site, the event will include daily plenary sessions, multiple program tracks focused on compatible use, installation growth, BRAC downsizing, including changes to DoD’s reserve component sites, state partnering efforts and other initiatives.
The conference is scheduled for Nov. 2-5 and will be held in Orlando, FL. Gov. Camacho is expected to return at the end of the week. Airfare for the governor and accompanying government officials has been funded by OEA.
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Office of the Governor Launches Successful “One Island, One Vision, One Future” Workshops |
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October 31, 2009
The Office of the Governor this week launched a series of public workshops designed to help educate the community on the National Environmental Policy Act process and to learn more about how their voices can be heard during a time of great change in Guam. Hundreds attended the three workshops held at the Tamuning and Dededo community centers and the Agat Senior Citizens Center.
“We really appreciate all those who came out to learn more about how we can work together as a community to address issues related to the Guam Buildup,” said Governor Felix P. Camacho. “I especially want to thank the mayors and members of their staff who graciously opened their facilities to our team and the community.”
The workshops were designed to identify concerns from the first in a series of events which seeks input from the public as Guam begins the process of reviewing and commenting on the findings of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS). The U.S. Navy developed the DEIS to identify the possible environmental, social, and economic impacts associated with the relocation of military personnel to Guam.
“The workshops that were held were designed to explain how that process will work as well as to explain the sorts of impacts that the community needs to be aware of,” said Celeste Werner, leader of Matrix Design Group. “Although the DEIS will not be released for another three weeks, many local people came to the workshops and asked very good questions. We were very pleased with the attention and interest the community has shown.”
Matrix Design Group is the prime contractor for the Advisory Consulting Team (ACT) advising Gov. Camacho on addressing concerns that may arise from the DEIS.
“We are working as one community to make our island a better place. The scale of what we are embarking on is so large that it will affect the lives of everyone who calls Guam home,” said Gov. Camacho. “This administration remains dedicated to ensuring that we represent the interests of the people of Guam in this process so that the community is more aware of the effects of the buildup and how our government can best address those issues.”
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Media Advisory – 10/30/09 |
Governor Felix P. Camacho will receive the key to a patrol car donated to the Guam Police Department by Ken Corp. at 11 a.m. tomorrow at the Guam Police Department chief’s office in Tiyan. |
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Media Advisory – 10/28/09 |
Governor Felix P. Camacho will sign proclamations at 11 a.m. tomorrow for Guam Diabetes Month, National Family Caregivers Month, Veterans Creative Arts Day, Veterans Day, Sanctuary Incorporated Month, and Yigo Animal Shelter Appreciation Week. All are invited to attend at the large conference room at Adelup. |
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Media Advisory – October 27, 2009 |
The workshop on the Compatibility Sustainability Study (CSS) and orientation of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process related to the military buildup scheduled for 6-8:30 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 27, 2009, will now take place at the Agat Senior Citizen’s Center. | Date: Time: Location: | October 27, Tuesday 6 – 8:30 p.m. Tamuning Community Center 120 Tun Jesus Crisostomo St. | October 28, Wednesday 6 – 8:30 p.m. Dededo Community Center 335 Iglesia Circle | October 29, Thursday 6 – 8:30 p.m. Agat Senior Citizen’s Center Calle Delos Marteres St. |
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Governor Camacho Meets With U.S. Ambassador to Korea |
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Discussion focuses on Korean interest in military buildup and trade expansion into Guam
October 21, 2009
(Seoul, South Korea) Governor Felix P. Camacho met with the U.S. ambassador to Korea, Kathleen Stephens, on Monday before the start of the Guam Buildup Symposium and Business Opportunity Conference on Tuesday at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Seoul. Gov. Camacho and Ambassador Stephens discussed efforts to expand economic development into the Western Pacific and the impacts on Guam of the Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement (KORUS), which is being discussed among lawmakers in Washington, DC.
“The U.S.-Korea relationship is good,” said Gov. Camacho. “Ambassador Stephens was excited about the Guam Buildup Symposium and Business Opportunities Conference in Seoul, and we agreed that this effort will assist in increasing Korean foreign investment into our island community.”
The U.S. Embassy Seoul participated in the conference outlining the process for Korean corporations to do business in Guam and in the United States. Ambassador Stephens shared with Gov. Camacho that regional military planners are concentrating on the move of the III Marine Expeditionary Force from Okinawa to Guam and that the news is translating into increased inquiries regarding the role of Korean corporations in the expansion of the Guam’s military and civilian population.
“The collaboration on this conference mission is yet another milestone in our 30-year relationship with Korea,” said Gov. Camacho. “It is my sincere hope that our presence here can help Korean businesses find a niche in the promise of our future and learn more about doing business in Guam.”
The one-hour meeting also touched on the efforts to extend the Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement to include Guam. Since 2007, Gov. Camacho has requested assistance of the Interagency Group on Insular Areas (IGIA) to assist with including Guam and the insular territories in all future free trade agreements negotiated with the United States, industrial nations (OECD), new industrial countries (NIC), and less developed countries (LDC).
“I have remained steadfast in my conviction that such inclusion in the KORUS would allow Guam and the insular territories to create and sustain industrial activities, increase personal and family incomes, and encourage reliable business and farming activities,” said Gov. Camacho. “There is a willingness by the U.S. Embassy staff in Seoul to advocate for inclusion on Guam’s behalf as Congress nears a decision on what could be the most significant economic agreement of this generation.”
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A Message from the Governor of Guam
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