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Gov’t assures HANMI of dump closure
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Posted on Dec 07 1999
Gov. Pedro P. Tenorio yesterday assured the Hotel Association of the Northern Mariana Islands that the government is doing everything it can to speed up the construction of a new landfill to shut down the Puerto Rico dumpsite.
The group, comprised of the largest hotels on the island, has urged local officials to use the $16 million appropriation approved by the Legislature to fast-track the opening of the Marpi landfill and closure of the existing disposal facility it said has become an eyesore.
“We’ve been trying to move the dump since we took office, but unfortunately it has taken some time because of the requirements that we have to [comply],” the governor said when sought for comment.
The local chief executive also expressed hope of a new development after the visit of Lt. Gov. Jesus R. Sablan to Honolulu, where he is expected to meet with the officials of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Division to try to get their approval.
Mr. Sablan, who heads the Solid Waste Task Force created by the governor two years ago, previously had vowed to resolve the issue on mitigation bank for endangered bird species found near the new landfill site to satisfy the federal requirement.
HANMI, however, asked the government to set a deadline and make the island’s biggest eyesore a priority because of the health hazard it poses to both the residents and visitors, since the current dumpsite is just a few hundreds of meters away from the tourist district of Garapan.
While he did not respond directly to the association’s concerns, Mr. Tenorio said the task force has been working on a comprehensive solid waste program and that funding is forthcoming.
“I am satisfied with the task force’s [performance]. They are working hard to close the dump,” he added.
The Puerto Rico site has been the dumping ground for hundreds of tons of trash produced by residents and businesses on Saipan everyday since World War II.
Although scheduled to be operational by end of 2000, the new sanitary landfill in Marpi has come to a halt in recent months due to slow permitting process of federal agencies.
