Praise, calls for talks after Bush marine monument proposal

After reports President Bush is poised to seek feedback from federal agencies on a bid to establish a national marine monument in the CNMI’s northern waters, supporters of the plan welcomed the news yet some opponents are calling for intergovernmental talks before the proposal moves forward.

“It’s a good day,” Angelo Villagomez, local coordinator for the Pew Charitable Trust’s campaign to rally support for the monument, said Sunday after hearing the reports.

News the northern waters will see a federal assessment evaluating them as a potential monument, Villagomez noted, has brought a wave positive international media attention to the CNMI that will bolster its image as an eco-tourism destination.

“Whether or not we’re chosen as the site for the monument, we’re getting some great press for the CNMI,” he said, noting the monument was the No. 3 story on CNN.com that day. “The world is watching.”

The role of the Pew trust—a key proponent of plan—in lobbying for the monument will diminish somewhat now that the White House is preparing to take up an assessment of the region, he added, yet its staff will continue to rally public support.

“It’s a federal proposal now,” he said. “It’s great that the process is about to begin.”

The monument plan has proven highly controversial in the CNMI, however, with opponents crying foul over prohibitions it would impose on any future mining or fishing within its boundaries. Federal restrictions in the northern islands, critics say, would amount to an intrusion on the CNMI’s autonomy.

Before the proposal can move forward, Rep. Stanley Torres (R-Saipan) said, federal authorities must negotiate with the local government under the terms of the CNMI’s Covenant.

“I am not sure if President Bush and his cabinet understand the Covenant,” Torres said in an interview. “They will have to call the CNMI to the negotiating table.”

The Covenant, he added, requires talks before any changes to its terms are made, including those preserving its waters.

“Before anyone pops the champagne bottles, they had better come to the CNMI and start knocking on doors,” he said. “This is going to be a Covenant issue. It’s not just a federal issue.”

According to the Associated Press, Bush’s proposal on the monument could be unveiled as early as today. The assessment—conducted by the departments of Interior, Defense and Commerce, in addition to the White House Council on Environmental Quality—could take up to two months to complete, AP said.

In a statement issued by Friends of the Marine Monument, a newly organized group supporting the proposal, Rep. Tina Sablan (I-Saipan) said local officials and the community are eager to learn more about it.

“I am pleased to learn that President Bush has agreed to send representatives to the CNMI to discuss the marine monument proposal with us,” Sablan said. “I am sure we will receive them hospitably, and with open minds. I am deeply interested in exploring all opportunities to protect our unique marine resources for the benefit of present and future generations.”

The Rose Atoll in the waters near American Samoa and the Line Islands in the central Pacific are competing with the CNMI’s northern islands as potential marine monument sites.