Previous Story
Comments on military’s proposed activities in CNMI extended another 60 days
The comment period on the draft environmental impact statement on the U.S. military’s proposed activities in the Northern Mariana Islands has been extended for another two months or until Aug. 4, 2015, Chamorro Standard Time.
The military’s decision to extend the comment period was announced by Delegate Gregorio Kilili C. Sablan, who said a letter from Marine Corps Brigadier General David J. Furness, notifying him of the decision to accept comments until Aug. 4, 2015, was hand-delivered to the Washington congressional office. The original cut-off date for comment was June 4 ChST.
Sablan said the decision to extend the comment period another 60 days was the right thing to do.
“The original 60-day comment period to review a 1,388 page draft environmental impact statement and its 19 appendices was clearly insufficient,” Sablan said. “The military worked on the document for years. The public and public officials deserve more than just a few weeks to digest all that information and respond in a meaningful way.
Sablan, however, said the two-month extension still may not really be enough time given the scope of the proposed action and the complexity of the impacts on the Northern Mariana Islands.
In his letter to Sablan, Furness said that the decision to extend for 60 days was the result of comments from the public during hearings held on Tinian and Saipan and a request from Gov. Eloy S. Inos for more time.
