AG disputes his office issued opinion on firing range

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Attorney General Talauega Eleasalo Ale has disputed that his office ever gave a legal opinion that the firing range project did not have to go through the Territorial Zoning Board because it was built on federal property.

KHJ News reported that the House Public Safety Committee learned from ASG officials at a hearing on January 28 that the Attorney General’s Office informed the Territorial Zoning Board that construction of the firing range facility should not be stopped.

Information provided by Rep. Vesi Fautanu Jr., a member of the Zoning Board, indicated that the board had sought a stop order on the project, but Assistant AG William Ledoux informed the Board that per an opinion from the Attorney General’s Office, the project cannot be stopped because it was built on federal property.

Yesterday AG Talauega told KHJ News,” This Office disagrees with the suggestion that the Army Reserve can build its gun range at the current location without seeking local land use approval because it is on federal land.”

“To the extent such an opinion has been credited to this Office, I vehemently deny it. Such an opinion is ludicrous; taken to its logical conclusion, it means the federal government can build a nuclear facility at that location without any say by the local government.”

“Based on our research, it appears that in fact, the Army Reserve sought and received approval for the location of the Gun Range facility. This Office was not involved in that process.”