The public involvement program for this EIS began with the publication of the Notice of Intent (NOI) in the Federal Register on March 7, 2007. The NOI briefly described the DoD’s proposed actions and announced its intent to hold public scoping meetings. The Joint Guam Program Office held a series of public scoping (information gathering) meetings on Guam, Saipan, and Tinian during April 2007. The intent of these meetings was to:
- Inform the public of DoD’s proposed activities
- Seek input from the public regarding any concerns or issues related to the proposed activities
Announcements in the local newspapers were also displayed. The comments received during these meetings helped to identify the significant issues to be analyzed in the EIS, identify and eliminate from detailed review those issues that will not be significant or those that have been adequately covered in prior environmental review documents, identify gaps in data and informational needs, and identify other environmental review and consultation requirements integrated with the EIS process.