Hagåtña, Guam – In a letter addressed to Governor Lou Leon Guerrero, Assistant Secretary for Insular and International Affairs Carmen G. Cantor announced that the United States Department of Interior (DOI) has awarded Guam $880,755 through the Office of Insular Affairs’ (OIA) discretionary grant programs.
“These grants build on our administration’s initiatives to address unemployment insurance, school security, wastewater efficiency, and environmental challenges posed by the brown tree snake,” said Governor Leon Guerrero. “As we progress on the road to recovery, strengthening our unemployment support systems and securing sustainable pathways are key to our success, and we appreciate the financial support that DOI and OIA continue to provide.”
“The Unemployment Feasibility Study will serve as the first step toward the potential creation of an unemployment insurance program for Guam, and in light of the substantial unemployment support delivered by the Guam Department of Labor, it is critical that we explore the public and private sector’s ability to stand up a more permanent program,” said Lt. Governor Josh Tenorio. “We are grateful for the funding that will foster our stronger response to the ecological and economic damage caused by Guam’s invasive brown tree snakes. We remain committed to meeting this challenge and mitigating further threats.”
Technical Assistance Program (TAP) funding is being awarded for the benefit of Guam through the following projects:
- $299,291 to the Guam Department of Labor for the Unemployment Feasibility Study
- $287,792 to the University of Guam for a Campus Security Project
- $123,672 to the Guam Waterworks Authority for Finance, Water & Wastewater Conference Training
In addition to TAP, Brown Tree Snake (BTS) Program funding is being awarded directly to the Government of Guam to fund the following projects as part of the larger BTS Program:
- $100,000 to the Guam Department of Agriculture, Division of Aquatic and Wildlife Resources for the Kontra I Kulepbla – Challenge the Snake! project
- $70,000 to the Guam Power Authority for the continuation of the BTS Impact Research and Discovery project
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