Although the Governor ordered tests for agent orange back in January, the Guam Environmental Protection Agency has yet to begin testing.

Guam – The Guam Environmental Protection Agency has yet to begin testing for agent orange on Andersen Air Force base.

Governor Eddie Calvo ordered the Guam EPA to begin testing for agent orange on January 23rd. However, Guam EPA Spokesman Nic Lee tells PNC that no tests for agent orange have been conducted on Guam military installations. Lee says they are still working with Andersen Air Force base and Joint Region Marianas officials on a sampling and analysis plan which is required for a full investigation. Lee says they will only be testing places in which there have been written affadavits by witnesses who claim knowledge of agent orange use on specific sites on Guam. Lee says they have received more than a dozen such affadavits so far.

Meanwhile, Congresswoman Bordallo’s office confirms for PNC that they expect the Government Accountability Office to be on Guam in December as part of it’s own investigation into agent orange use in the Marianas. When asked if GEPA’s investigation would be independent of the GAO’s he said he could not provide a definitive answer at this time.

Lee also confirmed for PNC that when the samples are finally collected they will still need to be sent off island for analysis. Lee assured the public that although ten months has passed since the Governor’s directive his agency is proceeding with a sense of urgency. Lee says that the U.S. EPA, the Guam EPA, the Andersen Air Force base and the Joint Region Marianas are all working together to ensure that the investigation is carried out properly.