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CUC emergency declaration extended anew
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Posted on Apr 01 2009
Gov. Benigno Fitial has placed the Commonwealth utilities Corp. under a state of disaster emergency for the ninth straight month, while the head of CUC says the utility agency will more than likely remain under a state of emergency past September, when the contract for the emergency Aggreko generators ends.
Fitial first placed CUC under a state of disaster emergency in August in order to bypass procurement regulations for the generators. Since then, the list of reasons for the emergency orders continues to grow each month, as the governor extends it for 31 more days.
The administration has said CUC would need to remain under a state of emergency as long as the Aggreko generators were being used. Under the $6 million contract, CUC rents the generators and pays the company $504,000 each month for 15 additional megawatts of power. It was recently announced CUC would not extend the contract for another six months, and instead is working to rehabilitate engines at Power Plant 1 in preparation for September.
At the unveiling of the completion of two engine overhauls on Tuesday, CUC executive director Antonio Muña said the emergency orders would need to continue because power is not the only issue the agency is facing now. The core issue is power production, and that is being fixed, but there are still many issues with power distribution, water and wastewater.
“This declaration is still necessary to protect the health and safety of our children, our senior citizens, businesses and all other CNMI residents and visitors,” Fitial said in his 10-page executive order.
As of the writing of the executive order, Fitial said four pumps are out of service at CUC water wells. There are also no backup pumps for sewage transport, and the backup generators in the wastewater treatment plans have failed and do not function.
Moreover, the order stated that, while CUC intends to comply with requirements set forth by the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, “there is no indication that this situation will be resolved in the next month.”
