Six-month break on FDM bombing urged

House members are seeking a moratorium on the bombing exercises being conducted by the U.S. Navy on Farallon de Medinilla at least during the months of March to August this year to check on seabirds and reef fish.

In a resolution offered by Rep. Thomas B. Pangelinan, the lower house expressed concerns over environmental impact of the live-fire activities, particularly to the wildlife and marine resources around the tiny island.

The six-month break will allow local fishermen and marine biologists to monitor the broods of seabirds and the spawn of reef fish, according to HR 12-112. It will also give them enough time to conduct a census of the bird and fish population.

Lawmakers urged the U.S. Department of Defense to grant the moratorium during the peak breeding season, while acknowledging its responsibilities in meeting defense needs of the United States.

“The House recognizes that a six-month moratorium on the bombing of Farallon de Medinilla is environmental sound and in the public interest ,” read HR 12-212.

The resolution is the latest move taken by the CNMI government with respect to FDM which has become a controversial issue as island leaders attempt to wrestle control of the 206-acre island north of Saipan.

For nearly 30 years, the Navy has been using the area for bombing activities since the Northern Marianas leased out the island to the federal government during the Trust Territory and under the Covenant agreement.

A lawsuit is pending in the district court in Washington D.C. seeking a cessation in the live-wire exercises due to the concerns over the rich marine resources and wildlife found on the island and surrounding waters.

The reefs around FDM comprise the largest coral reef under federal jurisdiction in the U.S. Western Pacific region, outside of the Hawaiian archipelago.

Several commercial fishing operations are currently using the area and some fishermen believe that resources in these waters are being affected by the bombing.

The Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council has already called attention on the effect of the bombing on the environment as cliffside erosion could be accelerated due to repeated hits contributing to the sedimentation which could destroy the coral reefs as essential fish habitat.

Although the council recognizes the importance of continuous military training in FDM, it strongly has recommended that a quantitative marine impact assessment of the reef habitat and commercial resources be made every one to two years interval in all areas where bombs have landed within the three-mile radius bombing range surrounding the island.