Guam EPA board ratifies judgment in GAPA-25-0585, keeps 60‑day timeline for SOPs and re-evaluation

The Guam Environmental Protection Agency (Guam EPA) board on June 9 ratified a judgment in administrative case GAPA‑25‑0585 and left in place a 60‑day schedule for agency staff to finish standard operating procedures (SOPs) and to re-evaluate a license applicant.

The motion to adopt the judgment (GAPA‑25‑0585) was moved by Board member Kathleen and seconded; the board voted to ratify the order subject to minor corrections, including replacing venue language with a reference to the Guam EPA board of directors and updating the effective date on page seven to the meeting date. The transcript does not record a roll-call tally by name; the chair announced the motion passed.

Board members debated whether the agency should be given 60 days as written in the order or be required to deliver documents sooner for board review. Several directors said they would prefer an earlier review so the board could vet policy elements before implementation; others argued the 60‑day timeline provides necessary buffer. The board agreed staff should make 'best efforts' to expedite work where possible.

Stacy, the hearing officer and agency staff contact, told directors the agency was close to finalizing SOP text and would still need time for internal reviews by the administrator, to convene a test panel, and to develop interview/test materials and a scoring rubric. "We would need to complete [the SOPs], then have a panel prepare a test and a rubric in advance of the interview," Stacy said, describing the steps the agency expects to take before re-evaluating the applicant.

Directors discussed scheduling logistics: staff said they could present a draft SOP for board review the week of June 25, and several directors asked to receive the draft in advance (proposed target dates noted in the meeting were June 23–24) to permit review time before the board meeting. The order retains the 60‑day completion window; the record also clarifies that, after the applicant is re‑tested, the agency intends to notify the applicant within seven days whether they passed.

The order includes procedural edits noted on the record; the board ratified the judgment "subject to corrections." The board thanked agency staff, counsel and the hearing officer, and moved on to the next agenda item. The agency said it would email the revised judgment and related documents to directors that night.

Next steps: agency staff will finalize SOPs and present a draft to the board the week of June 25 for review; once SOPs are approved (or administratively finalized if deemed operational), the agency will convene the test panel and re-evaluate the applicant within the 60‑day window established by the order.