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Air Force top brass to visit CNMI
A top U.S. Air Force official will be meeting with the administration of Gov. Eloy S. Inos this week, confirmed press secretary Ivan Blanco yesterday.
The visit relates to the Air Force’s proposed divert airfield project in the CNMI.
According to Blanco, Brig. Gen. Andrew J. Toth is scheduled for a courtesy visit with the governor at 10am on Thursday. Toth is also reportedly meeting with the Commonwealth Ports Authority this week.
However, Blanco said, it has not been decided yet which official would sit down with Toth as Inos is also scheduled to fly for a medical trip that morning.
The Air Force is renewing its talks for a divert airfield on Saipan, as they aim to furnish a revised environmental impact statement for a “hybrid” plan inclusive of both Saipan and Tinian airports.
The new plan was shared months after CPA—which owns the lands at the Saipan airport—rejected the siting of a divert project on Saipan and endorsed Tinian instead.
“We think the CPA will find the new alternatives to be attractive options that represent a true middle ground between the initial positions of both parties,” Col. Michael R. Cardoza, USAF Chief of Strategy and Plans Division, told Saipan Tribune in an email last month. “The Air Force has made significant reductions to the scope of the initiative, in an attempt to mitigate potential impacts of the original proposal. Fighter aircraft and their associated munitions have been completely eliminated. This means the only remaining aircraft are refueling and mobility aircraft, which are similar to the commercial airlines flying into Saipan today.”
