Supreme Court reviews environmental challenge to Air Force detonations in Guam

The short version

• The US Supreme Court heard arguments in an appeal by the Air Force over unexploded ordnance detonations at Tarague Beach in Guam.[Al Jazeera]
• Conservation group Prutehi Guahan challenged the disposal, arguing it requires environmental impact reviews and risks cultural sites and drinking water for most of the island.[Al Jazeera]
• Air Force attorneys contend the lawsuit is premature because Guam's environmental agency has not made a final decision on a 2021 permit renewal.[Al Jazeera]
• The court must determine whether the lawsuit against the military's ongoing munitions disposal may proceed.[Al Jazeera]

Key facts

• The US Supreme Court began hearing arguments regarding the Air Force's use of Tarague Beach in Guam for unexploded ordnance detonations.[Al Jazeera]
• The challenge was filed by conservation organization Prutehi Guahan, which argues the detonations risk cultural sites, ecosystems, and water resources.[Al Jazeera]
• Prutehi Guahan asserts the disposal location rests above an aquifer providing drinking water to more than 80 percent of the island's population.[Al Jazeera]
• The Air Force has conducted detonations at Tarague Beach since 1982 and submitted a renewal application in 2021.[Al Jazeera]
• Guam's Environmental Protection Agency has neither approved nor denied the 2021 permit application, allowing detonations to continue.[Al Jazeera]
• A federal district judge dismissed the challenge in January 2022, but the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled the lawsuit could proceed, prompting the Air Force to appeal to the Supreme Court.[Al Jazeera]

Sources

Outlet counts describe coverage, not independent confirmation. Reports may share a wire service or original source.

• US Supreme Court hears challenge to air force UXO detonations in GuamAl Jazeera