The Inos administration has confirmed the selection of a consultant to handle a third-party review of a draft environmental impact statement on military activities on Tinian and Pagan.<\/p>\n
Press secretary Ivan Blanco confirmed a report by Saipan Tribune on Monday, which said that Dentons, a global law firm, is the consultant selected to review thousands of pages of draft EIS documents on proposed live-fire training.<\/p>\n
Blanco said an official announcement will be made from the Governor\u2019s Office soon.<\/p>\n
It was reported that Dentons had submitted a joint application for environmental impact consultant job with Environmental Science Associates, or ESA, an environmental science and planning firm.<\/p>\n
Notably, Dentons assisted the National Trust for Historic Preservation and the Guam Preservation Trust in suing the U.S. Department of Defense to prevent the building of live-fire range complexes on Pagat, an ancient Chamorro village in Guam.<\/p>\n
The groups argued that the U.S. Navy failed to adequately consider and evaluate alternate sites for their firing complex, and by doing so failed to comply with the National Environmental Policy Act.<\/p>\n
In November 2011\u2014in what was called a victory by these groups\u2014the U.S. Navy filed a declaration in federal court to order another supplemental review of proposed sites\u2014essentially restarting the NEPA process over again.<\/p>\n
On their website, under \u201cEnvironmental Litigation,\u201d Dentons say the National Environmental Policy Act is an area of \u201cparticular strength\u201d for the firm.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe head of our U.S. Environmental practice was the lead draftsman for the NEPA\u2019s implementing regulations (which apply to all federal agencies), and no NEPA document on which we have advised has ever been found inadequate in court,\u201d Dentons says.<\/p>\n
Dentons was referring to partner Nicholas Yost, who served as general counsel of the Council on Environmental Quality\u2014in the executive office of the President of the United States\u2014from 1977 to 1981.<\/p>\n
Yost was also attorney of the Guam Preservation Trust in their lawsuit against DOD. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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