The Department of the Navy is reviewing the impacts associated with the Marines’ relocation to Guam and has initiated an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). A study indicated a peak impact would be reached in 2014, which includes almost 80,000 additional personnel beyond the current Guam population of 180,000. In assessing the ability of Guam to support this peak expansion, the Environmental Protection Agency was very critical and rated the DEIS as Environmentally Unsatisfactory because: (1) the project will result in unsatisfactory impacts to Guam's existing substandard drinking water and wastewater infrastructure, which may result in significant adverse public health impacts; and 2) the project will result in unacceptable impacts to 71 acres of high quality coral reef ecosystem in Apra Harbor.
“I wasn’t suggesting that the island of Guam would literally tip over,” said Johnson. “The subtle humor of this obviously metaphorical reference to a ship capsizing illustrated my concern about the impact of the planned military buildup on this small tropical island.
With the addition of 8,000 Marines and their dependents – an additional 80,000 people during peak construction on the tiny island – could be a tipping point which could adversely affect the island’s fragile ecosystem and could overburden its stressed infrastructure. Having traveled to Guam last year, I saw firsthand how this beautiful – but vulnerable island – could easily become overburdened, and I was simply voicing my concerns that the addition of that many people could tip the delicate balance and do permanent harm to Guam.”
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