Hagåtña, Guam – Governor Lou Leon Guerrero and Lieutenant Governor Josh Tenorio issue the following statement on Guam’s Supreme Court victory on U.S. hazardous dumping:
“At the heart of this matter is accountability. With today’s unanimous decision by the U.S. Supreme Court, justice has been given to the people of Guam. We can finally pursue what’s owed to our people by the U.S. Navy for their share of the cleanup costs that Guam taxpayers incurred as a result of the Ordot Dump,” said Governor Leon Guerrero. “Even if this is the start of more litigation, it also presents an opportunity to work with our federal partners to put this decades-old case to rest.”
Lieutenant Governor Tenorio added, “I want to applaud Attorney General Camacho for his leadership in this regard and his office for all the work they put into this case over the last few years. This decision opens the door to holding the federal government accountable for the long-term environmental and economic impacts from their prior decisions and land use.”
Governor Leon Guerrero has expressed that any funds received will be used to pay down the debt incurred to finance the process of closing the Ordot dump and opening a new landfill.
She added, “The best way to safeguard the prosperity of our community is to live within our means and pay down the debt.”
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