Use it or lose it: Guam governor pushes for passage of bill authorizing the use of unspent ARP funds for utility projects
- Admin
- 3 hours ago
- 2 min read
By Pacific Island Times News Staff
Time is running out for the $104 million in American Rescue Plan funds, Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero reminded the senators, prodding them to pass her proposed bill appropriating the unspent Covid recovery funds for utility projects in Mangilao.
The governor has earmarked the remaining ARP funds for power and water infrastructure development in the target site for a new hospital that she plans to build.
Bill 2 (1-S), which the governor proposed to the 38th Guam Legislature, would authorize the Guam Power Authority and Guam Waterworks Authority to use the federal dollars and move forward with the power and water projects before the fund expires.
The government of Guam received close to $600 million in ARP funds. Under federal rules, the funds must be obligated by Dec. 31, 2024, and spent in full by Dec. 31, 2026.
“Without legislative authorization, GPA and GWA cannot proceed, and Guam risks forfeiting the money altogether,” the governor said.
“This isn’t about politics. It’s about protecting a once-in-a-generation federal investment in Guam’s future. Every dollar left unspent is a dollar lost to the people of Guam.”
In July, the Guam Land Use Commission officially rezoned the target site for a new hospital—Lot 5280-3—from agricultural to public facility use, paving the way for the construction of water and power infrastructure in the area.
The governor’s office said Bill 2-1S “will reinforce power reliability, reduce prolonged outages during typhoons and major storms and support new housing and hospital infrastructure planned for the central region.”
“Mangilao families have suffered long enough with low water pressure and extended outages. During Typhoon Mawar, many waited weeks for full restoration,” Leon Guerrero said. “We finally have the resources to fix this—but only if lawmakers act now.”
Bill 1-2S, however, may face rough sailing at the legislature. Senators have other plans for the remaining ARP funds.
Nine senators earlier introduced a bipartisan resolution urging the federal government to authorize the reallocation of the ARP funds toward infrastructure repairs at Guam Memorial Hospital.
The resolution stresses that the legislature is "not asking for new spending or additional taxpayer dollars, but only for the flexibility to use the existing federal funds already allocated to Guam to repair, stabilize, and safeguard the current hospital."
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