CaseStudy:Guam Military Build-Up

The Navy is the lead agency for a project in which the U.S. military would realign Marine Corps forces from Okinawa to Guam. This project will be partially funded by Japan under the Realignment Roadmap Agreement and would potentially affect historic properties on Guam and within the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.

Details
The project would relocate approximately 8,500 Marines and 9,000 dependents from Okinawa to Guam. In addition, the Navy will create a new deep-draft wharf with shore-side infrastructure in Apra Harbor, and the Army will establish an air defense facility with 600 military personnel and 900 dependents. The proposed realignment is in addition to ongoing efforts by the Air Force to increase capacity and personnel. The realignment is expected to increase Guam’s population by about 24,000 Department of Defense (DoD) personnel and dependents. Construction on and off military land to accommodate the build-up will involve a temporary influx of civilian construction work force personnel and private development to accommodate the temporary construction workforce.

The island of Tinian will see increased use for training by all military services. It is further expected that DoD will increase land holdings on Guam through purchase or lease.

The proposed realignment is currently the subject of an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) being prepared under the National Environmental Policy Act. The public comment period on the Draft EIS ended on February 17, 2010. The Navy has conducted cultural resource surveys throughout the project area and is conducting a series of public meetings and consultations. Adverse effects on historic properties will be avoided where possible. Development of a Programmatic Agreement (PA) is anticipated to provide for case-by-case consultation to resolve specific effects, once they are determined, with targeted mitigation.

Historic properties within the area of potential effect for this undertaking include archaeological sites, traditional cultural properties, and architectural resources, spanning multiple periods of significance (including pre- and post-contact indigenous and relocated populations, occupation by a series of nations, and scenes of significant wartime operations). Historic properties are expected to be affected through construction, operations, roadways and utility upgrades or reduced access, on military-controlled land as well as on non-federal lands. Private development projects to accommodate residents on Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) will require review by each island’s Historic Preservation Office (HPO). These activities, coupled with the ongoing Section 106 review for this undertaking, will result in an increased workload for HPOs. Concern exists that this increased workload will significantly exceed HPO current capacity.

Section 106 consultation with HPOs, the ACHP, and consulting parties identified by the Navy is ongoing and tentatively scheduled for completion in March 2010. Various mitigation measures have been proposed for inclusion in the PA for the project. These include creating or updating preservation plans, archaeological monitoring, archaeological data recovery, interpretive displays, specialized surveys, and documentation. DoD is assisting the HPOs of Guam and the CNMI in identifying curation needs for existing collections and collections being generated by current studies and future construction projects. Also under consideration as mitigation is a program of public education to encourage protection and preservation of historic resources and deter vandalism.

Signatories in addition to DoD entities will include the Guam HPO, the CNMI HPO, and the ACHP. The National Park Service is participating as a consulting party and invited signatory.