Teno presses for cleanup of PCB

The Northern Marianas government will demand complete and extensive cleanup of the polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) contamination in Tanapag to ensure safety for village residents, according to Gov. Pedro P. Tenorio.

“I will not be satisfied until it has been resolved and they have cleaned up the area of contamination,” he told reporters in an interview yesterday.

The governor, however, expressed relief over the presence of several federal officials who are currently on Saipan to check on the condition as well as conduct assessment study of the northern coastal village.

He welcomed the “full cooperation” offered by these representatives from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineer, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) whom he met the other day in his Capitol Hill office.

While there is no specific timetable as to when the clean-up will be completed, these agencies are collecting samples of soil, water, food and fish in Tanapag as well as conducting health screening for villagers in an effort to determine the extent of the contamination.

Mr. Tenorio stressed the establishment of a public health clinic in the neighborhood to encourage people to submit to medical tests is a big boost to his confidence that the problem has finally drawn the much-needed attention from the federal government.

He then urged the public to cooperate with these agencies while carrying out their duties. “Since many of the federal agencies are now on the island, I ask that our community in Tanapag to cooperate with the agencies and try to identify some of the areas that might be contaminated,” said the governor.

Appeal

The chief executive earlier made an emotional plea to the federal authorities to address the widespread PCB contamination here, saying that residents have raised fears due to a lack of response to the environmental problem.

He, along with Lt. Gov. Jesus R. Sablan and other local officials, met with several federal officials in Capitol Hill where they briefed them on testing and cleanup efforts being undertaken in the village.

“I am not blaming you. I’m glad you’re here and I hope it’s not the last time I see you,” he was quoted as saying to the federal officials during the two-hour meeting.

“You have some responsibility by law and by humanity. Put aside the past. We have contamination here, and I want to know what we can do to help these people,” added the governor.

The EPA is set to conduct assessment study on the extent of the problem in the northern coastal village of Tanapag where large concentrations of the highly-toxic chemicals have been found.

The U.S. Department of Defense used the PCBs in capacitors for a missile radar station that was originally stationed at Kwajalein, and was moved in 1967 to Tanapag.

Villagers used these capacitors as boundary markers, road blocks for driveways, windbreaks for barbecue sites and headstones. Some capacitors were found open as their inner phenolic linings were used to decorate rooftops and cemeteries in the village.

Emotional

While the island government has been trying to contain the problem, Mr. Tenorio stressed the people have become emotional and failed to realize that they are working together to address their concerns.

Mr. Sablan echoed his sentiments, noting that there is a “huge gap” from the first clean-up carried out over 10 years ago.

“We have failed with the human side. The federal agencies are either lacking the information or have not made it available. I’m not convinced about what happens next,” he told federal officials.

Army Corps’ Major David Goddard pledged to finish the clean-up efforts they started in 1989. “We’re proud of the work we did down there, and we want to finish the work as involved citizens in a military community,” he said at the meeting.

“Most importantly, we are here to listen sensitively and do the right things,” added Mr. Goddard.

Mr. Tenorio replied: “The Army Corps did a find job, but I hate to say that they put up ‘danger signs’ right in the middle of the village and they disappeared. This is what caused the fear in people.”

Both the top CNMI leaders underscored the need to safeguard the lives of islanders, saying they are also U.S. citizens entitled to have federal protection.

“We cannot be killing our citizens and I’ve been accused of not helping our people,” said Mr. Sablan.

“I cannot put a dollar figure on people’s lives, can you,” asked Mr. Tenorio.

Assessment

The federal agencies will team up with local authorities, such as the Department of Public Health and the Division of Environmental Quality, to conduct the assessment study. A town meeting was held Wednesday night in Tanapag where residents were briefed about these efforts.

According to ATSDR Toxicologist Scott Sudweeks, they need to find out the extent of the contamination. “If it’s connected to Defense-related use, not only do we have legal, but morale obligations to get in there and clean it up,” he said at the meeting.

CNMI officials are hoping to include the islands in the “Superfund Sites” or environmental hot spots under a federal program so that the Commonwealth will receive the highest degree of attention and federal funding.

Once it is declared as such, federal officials disclosed legal issues will intervene and the PCB ‘hot spots’ will be cleaned up immediately before this summer is over, said Norman Lovelace from EPA.

“I think it is advisable for more federal agencies to be here. It’s my plea to you to join hands with us, working together to help us solve this problem,” said the governor.