U.S. Navy delays plans for Guam build-up

HAGATNA, Guam, Nov. 16 (UPI) -- A decision on the location of controversial Marine Corps machine gun and grenade ranges on Guam has been delayed at least two more years, the U.S. Navy said.

The U.S. Navy, in a court brief filed Tuesday in federal court in Hawaii, said it will conduct a new round of federal environmental studies to weigh the effects of locating the machine gun and grenade ranges along the territory's eastern shore. Residents have filed a lawsuit to stop construction of the training ranges for fear they will encroach on ancient ancestral land and burial grounds, Stars and Stripes reported.

The delay is seen as a setback for plans to move 8,600 Marines from Okinawa, Japan, to Guam, the military newspaper said.

"The Navy expects the (supplemental environmental impact statement) to take a minimum of two years to complete after the process formally commences in early 2012," U.S. attorneys said.