NMI lobbies for direct federal funding for Tinian breakwater

The Commonwealth government is gearing up to lobby for direct appropriations from the United States Congress for the repair and rehabilitation of the dilapidated Tinian breakwater, after initial funds originally earmarked for the project was scrapped from the Army Corps of Engineers’ Fiscal Year 2001 budget.

Ports Authority Executive Director Carlos H. Salas is now coordinating with the Tinian Legislative Delegation and the Municipal Council for the adoption of a resolution asking direct federal funds for the project.

Mr. Salas said CPA has been informed that the funding originally included in the Army Corps of Engineers FY 2001 budget for the Tinian breakwater had been slashed because the agency has been swamped with numerous projects that are yet to be completed.

“The congressional committee deleted the money out of the Army Corps budget because the U.S. Congress will not authorize new projects unless those that are pending are completed, so we might as well lobby for direct appropriations,” he told members of the CPA Board of Directors.

Mr. Salas pointed out, however, that CPA will continue to work with the Army Corps of Engineers even though CNMI would be asking for direct U.S. congressional funds that will be used for the long overdue project.

“We will continue to work with the Army Corps because it is the same agency which presented to members of the U.S. Congress the immediate need to work on the new Tinian breakwater due to the dangers the current structures pose on the island,” he stressed.

The $100,000 budget has been earmarked by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to conduct a study on the extent of the breakwater’s damage in order to identify how much work should be done and how much money is needed to restore the facility.

CPA earlier received assistance from Guam Delegate Robert Underwood who vowed to press the U.S. Congress to allocate money from the next fiscal year’s budget for the rehabilitation of the Tinian breakwater.

CPA’s lobbying efforts have gone a long way, being able to secure the support of the United States Department of Transportation and the Department of the Interior’s Office of Insular Affairs for the badly needed repair and rehabilitation of the Tinian breakwater.

OIA previously pledged support in identifying sources of funds for the urgent rehabilitation of the breakwater on Tinian. “I have presented to OIA the urgency of getting the Tinian breakwater repair project funded because it has deteriorated enough to threaten the livelihood of the island’s residents,” said Mr. Salas.

Tinian continues to face economic disaster threats if CPA failed to raise some $25 million in total amount for the rehabilitation of the deteriorating condition of the island’s breakwater.

The possible collapse of the Tinian breakwater has the potential to seriously plunder the island’s struggling economy due to Tinian’s heavy dependence on its seaport for trade and tourism.

The 4,600-foot breakwater built on the shallow fringing coral reef has already deteriorated and no longer serves its original intent to provide protection to harbor basin from waves.

While a second 3,500-foot breakwater originally constructed of interlocking steel sheet pile in a circular cell configuration to protect the ocean-facing side of the Tinian seaport had been destroyed by Typhoon Pamela in the late 1970s.

Also, the eastern most 1,000-feet at the end of the breakwater had likewise been diminished and advance deterioration of cells in other sections have exposed the facility to complete failure.