Programmatic Agreement available for public comment

The Government of Guam (GovGuam), Guam State Historic Preservation Officer (SHPO), and Joint Region Marianas (JRM) have made the draft Guam Programmatic Agreement for Training and Testing (Guam PATT) available for a 30-day public review period. The Guam PATT will replace the 2009 Mariana Islands Range Complex (MIRC) Programmatic Agreement.

The draft Guam PATT is the culmination of nearly two years of collaborative efforts among local, federal and military historic and cultural preservation partners.

It encapsulates the Department of Defense’s cultural and historic preservation, notification, and consultation responsibilities when conducting military training and testing activities on Guam. The draft allows for enhanced consultation processes, data sharing, and intergovernmental collaboration to best preserve historic properties and cultural resources while addressing community concerns.

“This draft programmatic agreement represents the spirit of cooperation that we share with our GovGuam and SHPO partners,” said Rear Adm. John Menoni, commander, Joint Region Marianas. “The new agreement will increase the community’s awareness and understanding of military training and provide for a higher degree of protection for Guam's historic and cultural resources, while ensuring DoD forces maintain the highest levels of training and readiness to defend Guam and the region.”

“I am proud of the efforts of all the consulting parties,” said acting SHPO Carlotta Leon Guerrero. “This agreement reflects GovGuam’s acknowledgment of our community’s voices while strengthening the foundation of our partnership with the military and continuing to build our role in Guam’s Cultural and Historic stewardship.”

Public input and concerns relative to the draft Guam PATT will be accepted until December 16, 2020. All public input will be consolidated and reviewed by GovGuam and SHPO who, in turn, will share with JRM. The consulting parties will then re-convene for further consultation prior to finalization and issuance of the completed Guam PATT.

The draft Guam PATT is available for review on the State Historic Preservation Officer’s website: https://www.historicguam.net. Residents and interested parties are encouraged to submit comments to Guam SHPO via email at guamshpo@gmail.com.