Hagåtña, Guam – On July 3rd, Governor Lou Leon Guerrero wrote a letter to the U.S. Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro stating she would no longer be pursuing the lease of the Eagle’s Field property due to objections by both the Guam Legislature and Attorney General Doug Moylan. In her letter, she explained that in an effort to move forward with constructing a new medical campus for the People of Guam, she has “decided to proceed in exploring other potential properties.”
Earlier today, Speaker Therese Terlaje issued a statement indicating she is “shocked to see” language in the Senate version of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that allows for the Navy to lease the Eagle’s Field property to GovGuam at “No Cost.” Governor Leon Guerrero, on numerous occasions, has publicly stated the same–that the lease for Eagle’s Field would be at “No Cost”–but this is something both Attorney General Moylan and senators, including Speaker Terlaje and Chris Barnett, refused to believe. On several occasions, Governor Leon Guerrero maintained that if GovGuam did not lease Eagles Field, the Department of Defense would use the property as part of their plans for a missile defense system rather than return the property to the original landowners. Despite clear warnings, Speaker Terlaje and Senator Barnett gave original landowners false hope that if they stopped the construction of a hospital at the Eagles Field, they would get their land back. Now, language in the Senate version of the NDAA makes it clear: Eagles Field will not be deemed excess property, just as Governor Leon Guerrero had warned.
For months, Governor Leon Guerrero worked in good faith to lease Eagle’s Field at no cost to the People of Guam, so their government could build a new state-of-the-art medical campus and hospital on federal property that the military would otherwise use for a missile defense system. Attorney General Moylan and the Guam Legislature blocked this deal. Now, the Speaker is claiming to be “shocked” that the military will not consider the land excess property and “shocked” it will be used for national defense. Her supposed “shock” makes no sense considering that Governor Leon Guerrero has maintained this from the start.
Speaker Terlaje also claimed to know of some lobbying efforts in Washington D.C. “behind our backs” regarding land on Guam. The administration is certainly not involved in any secret lobbying efforts and urges Speaker Terlaje to share any information she may have of these supposed lobbying efforts that are happening in secret in D.C.
Letter to the Honorable Carlos Del Toro
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