The Honolulu Star Advertiser reports that Guam cultural preservation groups and individual residents have sued the U.S. military to protect Pagat, a sacred site in Guam:
The Guam Preservation Trust, the National Trust for Historic Preservation and individual residents of Guam are suing the U.S. military to protect a Chamorro village from the $10.3 billion military buildup on the island.
The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court yesterday, names as defendants the Naval Facilities Engineering Command in the Pacific, the Joint Guam Program Office and their officers, Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus and Secretary of Defense Robert Gates.
The plaintiffs say in their lawsuit that the buildup of military facilities to accommodate the move of 8,600 U.S. service members from Okinawa will force the relocation of Pagat village, which is on the National Register of Historic Places.
The Associated Press reports:
The lawsuit filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Honolulu said the Navy failed to adequately consider alternative locations that would have less of an impact on the environment and historic sites. It further alleged the Navy failed to adequately examine the environmental consequences of its actions.
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