FLASHBACK – July 25, 2011

Lawmakers seek help to curb pollution[/B]

Lawmakers have appealed to Gov. Pedro P. Tenorio to seek assistance from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for a plan that will reduce pollution and other environmental impact of water runoff on the lagoon surrounding the three main islands. In a resolution adopted by the House of Representatives Friday, they said a comprehensive water runoff system must be put in place on Saipan, Tinian and Rota to prevent pollutants being washed off from some areas during rainstorms. Offered by Rep. Heinz S. Hofschneider, the resolution comes amid mounting concerns on the conditions of several beaches on Saipan that have been found to contain harmful bacteria, especially after a storm.

To provide island residents the means to seek compensation for injuries and loss as a result of exposure to toxic substances, the House of Representatives has approved legislation establishing the legal framework if and when such situation occurs. If HB 12-177, otherwise known as the Toxic Substances Exposure Compensation Act, becomes a law, it will be a public policy of the CNMI to grant rights to the victims for compensation and other relief. Offered by House Natural Resources Committee chair Rep. Dino M. Jones, the measure is an offshoot to the planned lawsuit against federal agencies and manufacturers of the polychlorinated biphenyl, which has contaminated the coastal village of Tanapag over the last three decades.

$1M released to pay off-island referral billings[/B]

The Northern Mariana Islands Retirement Fund has decided to go ahead with its plan to loan $1 million to the Group Health and Life Insurance as seed money for a trust fund that would be used to pay for off-island medical referral billings. The Fund’s Board of Trustees agreed to go ahead with the $1-million loan, subject to the approval of the Legislature, during Friday’s board meeting at the conference room of the Tinian Casino and Gaming Control Commission on Tinian Island. Fund administrator Juan S. Torres said the money will be used to set up a trust fund in connection with the Fund’s decision to hire the services of the Hawaii Pacific Medical Referrals Inc.

It’s confirmed! The Commonwealth Utilities Corp. said yesterday it is meeting with representatives of Enron Mariana Power, Inc. today in connection with the bidding for the 60-megawatt Saipan power plant. This developed as outgoing CUC Chair Jesus T. Guerrero hinted in his statement at yesterday’s board meeting that he wants negotiations with Enron to resume. “However, I can urge that the only sensible course is to get this project back on track by resuming contract negotiations with Enron,” said Guerrero, who still sits as CUC board member until the end of the month. “We need power now. Right now, we cannot generate enough power for all our island customers,” he added.

Boating Safety seeks use of CPA property on Tinian[/B]

The Commonwealth Ports Authority is now reviewing the request submitted by the Tinian local government to allow the island’s Boating Safety unit to use a parcel of land adjacent to the San Jose Harbor. Specifically, Mayor Francisco Borja is asking the CPA to allow the Tinian Boating Safety to use for its operations a total of 2,000 square meters of property at the island’s seaport. CPA Executive Director Carlos H. Salas immediately forwarded the request and the copy of the draft Memorandum of Agreement to Seaport Facility Committee Chair Antonio S. Camacho for review and recommendations.

The fishkill at the Smiling Cove Marina that followed the onslaught of Typhoon Chata’an left at least 26 kinds of marine life dead—the worst in the last seven years. This was the findings of the Department of Lands and Natural Resources, as it blamed non-point source runoff as the possible cause of the fishkill. “This type of event has occurred nearly consistently following every major storm event that passed Saipan in the last seven years. Observations indicate that this recent event has produced the most significant fish and invertebrate kill in terms of diversity, and possibly in terms of numbers also, although neither diversity nor numbers of fish killed from such events has been rigorously documented over the years,” the DLNR said.