Guam agency petitions Congress to save coastal program from NOAA cuts

By Mar-Vic Cagurangan

The Bureau of Statistics and Plans has launched an online petition seeking to salvage the Guam Coastal Management Program, which is facing termination under the federal budget request for fiscal 2027.

The bureau receives approximately $1.1 million a year under the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s $81.5 million Coastal Zone Management program, which the Trump administration proposes to shut down, along with several marine science and conservation programs.

“Without ongoing federal funding, crucial initiatives that safeguard our island's infrastructure, environment, and economy will be halted,” Lola E. Leon Guerrero, the bureau’s director, writes in an open letter to coastal management partners.

The bureau’s petition calls on the U.S. Congress to protect funding for Coast Zone Management, on which the bureau relies for shoreline management, hazard mitigation and coastal permitting capacity.

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Established in 1979 under the planning agency in partnership with NOAA, the Guam Coastal Management Program is responsible for the bureau’s land-use and natural resource planning duties.

Leon Guerrero said the program integrates policies into decision-making to ensure "all development elements are carefully balanced and that zoning decisions are comprehensively informed."

“Ending federal funding for the Bureau of Statistics and Plans’ Guam Coastal Management Program would jeopardize the important work of our program and other CZM programs across the nation,” she warned.

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Guam's ocean research, reef protection programs facing shutdown in FY2027

Besides terminating grants and reducing grant support, NOAA also plans to scale back some services and technical assistance to prioritize coastal infrastructure projects such as ports, roads, hospitals and utilities and “those that advance economic development.”

NOAA’s $4.54 billion budget reflects a policy shift from marine research and conservation to operations and economic development, particularly seabed mining.

The agency is proposing a $2 million increase in funding to support Trump’s executive order  "Unleashing America's Offshore Critical Minerals and Resources."

“With these funds, NOAA will advance the U.S. as a global leader in responsible seabed mineral exploration and commercial recovery,” states the budget document.

Among other initiatives at risk of elimination are funding pipelines for Guam’s marine-related programs, such as the National Sea Grant College Program, the Coral Reef Conservation Program, and Habitat Conservation, Restoration, and climate-change-related programs.

“We are actively seeking signatures from businesses and local governments and will also include community-based organizations, academic institutions, land trusts, tribal nations and non-profits. Individual citizens can also sign on to share their support,” Leon Guerrero said.

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