Governor Lou Leon Guerrero has signed Bill No. 135-38 into law as Public Law 38-61, advancing Guam’s commitment to renewable energy and environmental sustainability. The legislation builds on amendments previously approved under Bill No. 135-23, which modified a lease agreement between the Chamorro Land Trust Commission (CLTC) and the Guam International Country Club Inc. (GICC) for Lot No. 10122-12 in Dededo. The updated lease sets the property’s net present value at no less than $9 million and is projected to generate approximately $47 million in profit sharing for the government over 30 years.
The law paves the way for GICC to develop a state-of-the-art solar farm capable of producing between 60 and 65 megawatts of clean energy. Once operational, the project is expected to power more than 45,000 homes and reduce the golf course’s chemical use. Governor Leon Guerrero said the initiative aligns with Guam’s renewable energy policies under Public Laws 29-62, 35-46, 35-145, and 36-137, which set ambitious targets of 50 percent renewable energy by 2035 and 100 percent by 2045.
Citing findings from the World Health Organization, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and North Carolina State University’s Clean Energy Technology Center, the governor noted that solar energy poses minimal environmental and health risks.
Leon Guerrero emphasized that the legislation also includes safeguards for the environment, requiring that all solar panels used in the project be free of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), commonly known as “forever chemicals.” “Since the research demonstrates that our people and environment will not be at risk, I feel satisfied with the amended lease in its current form,” the governor said. “For these reasons, I sign Bill No. 135-38 into law as Public Law 38-61.”