The OAG filed a lawsuit against construction company Samsung E & C America, Inc. (SECAI), and project owner KEPCO Mangilao Solar, LLC (KMS) in 2021 after sediment from the construction site seeped into Marbo Cave and adjoining areas.  

Beyond the requirement for remediation of the environmental damages, the OAG won an additional $950 thousand fine.  Around $525 thousand of that will go to support environmental and cultural programs at UOG, Guam Preservation Trust and the Mayors’ Council of Guam.

The OAG hosted an in-person press conference on the distribution of funds on Thursday, May 5 at the ITC Bldg. According to the OAG, the settlement with SECAI, and KEPCO was reached on April 23. 

Attorney General Leevin T. Camacho said the settlement agreement follows a nine-month clean-up process in which SECAI collaborated with governmental agencies to develop and implement a remediation plan.  

At the press conference, UOG Center for Island Sustainability and Sea Grant program director Austin Shelton congratulated the team, calling the settlement an important victory for the island’s natural resources. “It is a real honor. We are grateful and thankful for you entrusting us to be stewards of these funds that we hope can be used for significant public good, for more conservation of our natural resources,” he added. 

According to Shelton, the two programs (CIS and SG) are at the forefront of several critical island wide conservation, research, and community engagement initiatives, so the funding from the OAG could not have come at a better time. “(CIS and Sea Grant) were established in 2009 to help lead and support the transition of our island and our region toward a sustainable future. We have quite a number of activities that are out there in the community,” he added.  

UOG Sea Grant associate director Fran Castro said a portion of the funding could be allocated to support erosion control and revegetation along with volunteer activities under the Guam Restoration of Watersheds (GROW) program. “We are happy and excited to be able to continue our project that has been going on since 2018. Since then, we have already put around 7,000 trees and grass seedlings into the ground in eroded areas. But there is still a lot more work to do,” she said. 

Meanwhile, UOG President Thomas W. Krise said the funding support shows another aspect of the university’s multi-sectoral networking efforts. “We are an institution committed to partnerships with the community. This is an example of the kind of partnership with different agencies to improve the environment and our society,” he said. 

Guam Preservation Trust Chief Program Officer Joseph Quinata, and Mayors’ Council of Guam Executive Director Angel Sablan also attended the press conference to represent their agencies. GPT and MCOG will also receive funds from the settlement.