Law School to present "Pagat Under Fire" discussion

University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
Contact:
Cynthia D. Quinn, (808) 956-6545
Director of Communications & External Relations, William S. Richardson School of Law
Posted: Feb 10, 2011

The Environmental Law Program at UH Mānoa's William S. Richardson School of Law is pleased to present its Colloquium Series discussion titled “Pågat Under Fire: A Citizen Suit Against the U.S. Department of Defense to Save an Ancient Chamorro Village,” on Tuesday, February 15, from 12:45-1:45 p.m. Hawai‘i Standard Time (February 16 from 8:45-9:45 a.m. Guam Standard Time) in the Moot Court Room at the Law School.
 
The discussion will feature Matthew Adams, senior managing associate with SNR Denton, the firm representing the Guam Preservation Trust, We Are Guåhan, and the National Historic Trust for Historic Preservation and Carl Christensen, local counsel for Plaintiffs and visiting assistant professor of Historic Preservation Law at the William S. Richardson School of Law.  
 
Adams and Christensen will provide an overview of the issues involved in the lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court of Hawai‘i challenging the selection of Pågat, an ancient Chamorro village, as the site of a proposed firing range complex.  The proposed firing range at Pågat is part of the Guam and C.N.M.I. Military Relocation Final Environmental Impact Statement, which was prepared by the U.S. Department of Defense and released on July 28, 2010.  The relocation, also known as the “Buildup,” involves the transfer of 8,000 U.S. Marines and their dependents from a U.S. base in Okinawa to Guam.  Plaintiffs’ claims arise under the National Environmental and Policy Act and the National Historic Preservation Act. 
 
In 2010, Pågat Village was nominated by the National Trust for Historic Preservation as one of America’s eleven Most Endangered Historic Places, and its selection for the firing range complex has caused much controversy due to the possibility of impeded public access and degradation of Chamorro cultural resources.
 
The Environmental Law Program will stream the event live online at http://www.livestream.com/uhrichardsonelp via the Environmental Law Program’s Livestream Channel for those unable to attend the event in person.  The event is free and open to the public. Refreshments will also be served.  RSVP requested by noon on Friday, February 11, 2011 to elp@hawaii.edu.