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Hofschneider: DPL has a lot of issues to resolve
Henry Hofschneider, the newly confirmed board member of the Department of Public Lands, said the agency faces a lot of issues that need to be resolved before they could focus their attention on other matters.
The impending expiration of Kan Pacific’s lease, the Kan Pacific and Best Sunshine International Ltd. negotiation, and the military buildup on Tinian and their plan to use Pagan for live training are among the topics that they need to address.
“There are a lot of issues concerning DPL right now. There’s the Kan Pacific lease, their negotiations with Best Sunshine, and the military coming in,” said Hofschneider in an interview by Saipan Tribune. “But we must also manage an overall plan for the homestead program for Saipan, Tinian, and Rota.”
Saipan Mayor David M. Apatang swore in Hofschneider as one of the five members of the DPL advisory board yesterday at the Saipan Mayor’s Office in Chalan Laulau. He will join William Torres (Northern Islands), David Evangelista (Tinian), Antonio Quitugua (Rota), and one appointed by the governor who has yet to be named on the DPL board.
The board, Hofschneider said, acts as the conscience of the DPL secretary but can only make recommendations. “The decision still lies with the secretary but one person could not deal with everything on his own.”
Former Washington representative Pete A. Tenorio is the DPL secretary but he is currently on leave. Patricia Rasa is acting DPL secretary.
Hofschneider said the board would also make an inventory of available public lands, especially since there are a lot of projects in the pipeline and new investors coming in.
“We could not lease public lands to just anybody without going through the entire process. The advisory board will be working closely with the DPL secretary regarding this,” Hofschneider said.
“There are a lot of opportunities knocking on our door everyday, which is good for the CNMI,” he said, “but we must screen everything and come up with ideas before the secretary makes the final decision. That’s why the advisory board and the secretary must work closely together.”
Apatang appointed Hofschneider, who is also the special assistant to the Saipan mayor, to the board, citing his vast knowledge in dealing with public lands.
