Previous Story
Sirok given authority to discuss oil spill, cleanup efforts with EPA
CUC celebrates completion of used oil containment in Rota
Officials and board members of the Commonwealth Utilities Corp., together with their project contractor and Rota officials, led the ceremonial ribbon-cutting for the $170,000 steel-framed used oil containment structure at the Rota power plant in Songsong Village last Friday. (Frauleine Villanueva-Dizon)
ROTA—The board of directors of the Commonwealth Utilities Corp. has authorized its legal counsel to discuss with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and sign a non-disclosure agreement with the U.S. Coast Guard with regards to oil spill and cleanup efforts done in the CNMI.
The board passed two motions at a board meeting held on Rota last Friday, authorizing legal counsel James Sirok “to get into a discussion with EPA” and “to sign on behalf of CUC in regards to a non-disclosure agreement with the U.S. Coast Guard.”
According to board chair Adelina Roberto, they needed a non-disclosure agreement “because the Coast Guard won’t talk to us.”
“He has to act on our behalf whatever the non-disclosure agreement will be,” Roberto said, “He’s going to act on behalf of CUC.”
According to Roberto, the authorization for the legal counsel with regards to EPA is for them to waive the charges made by the agency.
“They are assessing penalties that we told them we don’t have the money to pay,” Roberto said.
During their March board meetings, the board was also informed of the fees assessed to them by the Coast Guard which are “in the millions of dollars” due to oil contamination cleanup expenses since 2008.
According to Roberto, one of the oil spills happened at the Rota power plant in Songsong where CUC also held a ceremonial ribbon cutting for a roof enclosure for used oil earlier last Friday.
The $170,000 structure is made of galvanized metal and galvalium, which according to project contractor RadioCom Saipan, Inc. vice president Vicki Borja, can withstand the harsh environment near the sea.
Aside from the roof structure, the containment also has a cemented flooring to prevent spilling, if any, to seep through the soil.
CUC Rota deputy director Charles Manglona said the structure can store up to 100 barrels of used oil.
Before the structure was built, the barrels were just left in the open, vulnerable to rain.
“When the rain comes down to those barrels of oil, the oil spills,” Roberto said.
“Now we can contain any oil spill. We can tell the Coast Guard this is what we did and this will eliminate future spilling,” she added.
