Teno backs relocation of Tanapag residents

Gov. Pedro P. Tenorio yesterday threw his support on proposals to relocate Tanapag residents who are exposed to high levels of polychlorinated biphenyl contamination.

But the CNMI chief executive pointed out that relocation should only be resorted to once experts have identified specific areas where PCB contamination level is high, and where residents’ lives are in danger.

“Rep. Dino Jones has been working on that and I support his call for relocation of residents who face great danger due to exposure to PCB. We cannot compromise public health but we need to know where to start,” said Mr. Tenorio.

At this point, no specific areas around the village of Tanapag have yet been identified to be highly contaminated with PCB, which should be declared off-limits due to possible health risks they pose to the community.

The governor is asking federal and local agencies that are now working on the Tanapag cleanup project to come up with a list of areas and the number of families which may have to be relocated due to high PCB exposure.

Mr. Tenorio’s statement came weeks after the Senate failed to act on changes made to legislation that seeks to compensate individuals exposed to toxic substances which resulted to the bill’s automatic rejection.

The bill’s proponent, Rep. Dino Jones has manifested frustration over the fate of his proposed measure primarily because disapproval of the proposed measure came at a time when discussion over the possible relocation of some Tanapag residents is ongoing between his committee and the Office of the Governor.

Mr. Jones has discussed with officials from the Department of Public Health, the Division of Environmental Quality and the Office of the Attorney General issues surrounding Tanapag residents who may be exposed to high PCB levels.

Mr. Jones’ discussion with DPH, DEQ and AGO officials focused on the identification of how many Tanapag residents are currently living in areas where PCB contamination is beyond the permissible level.

The Commonwealth Attorney General’s Office has previously threatened to take legal action against the EPA and the Corps following its investigation which revealed that the two federal agencies violated U.S. laws that relate to standards in the carrying out of the cleanup project.

Federal cleanup standard provides that excavated soil contaminated with PCB must be replaced with clean soil which contains less than 1 ppm.

Last Sept. 19, 2000, an EPA hazardous waste order was sent to the Corps, requiring it to adhere to its published cleanup schedule, use scientifically proven methods for minimizing and eliminating the PCB waste and transporting waste out of Saipan if it cannot be safely and completely eliminated. (Aldwin R. Fajardo)