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Manglona wants CUC split into two
Bill will create 1 elected consolidated utilities board for 2 corporations
Sen. Paul A. Manglona (Ind-Rota) has pre-filed a bill that will replace the Commonwealth Utilities Corp. with two independent autonomous public corporations that will separately manage and control the power service and water systems.
However, Manglona’s Senate Bill 22-45 will create only one elected consolidated board for the two public corporations.
The senator stated in the legislation that CUC has grown tremendously over the past two decades, both in terms of customer base and the number of employees.
Since its inception, CUC has managed and controlled the power, water, and waste water systems in the CNMI, guided by an appointed board of directors and managed by an executive director. However, now is the time to consider reorganizing CUC, Manglona said, by separating the power and water systems so that the power service is separately managed and controlled from the water service and the wastewater system. He said it is in the public’s interest to create an elected board to exercise authority over the two separate public corporations.
Manglona said the current procedure of having an appointed CUC board removes the voice of the people and takes away their ability to directly impact the management and control of the utility services provided to the people in the CNMI.
He said the purpose of the bill is to repeal the entire statute pertaining to CUC and put in place two independent public corporations.
The senator said the bill establishes an elected board to oversee both the power service and the water service, which includes the wastewater system.
