Pete A., Cohen meet on IGIA water meetings

CNMI Resident Representative Pete A. Tenorio met Tuesday with Office of Insular Affairs Deputy Assistant Secretary Dave Cohen to discuss the recent mandate from Congress that aims to bring the CNMI’s water system to national standards.

Congress included this mandate in its 2005 Omnibus Appropriations Act along with $1 million for water system improvement. Specifically, it calls for the Secretary of the Interior to develop a comprehensive, coordinated and detailed implementation program for the plans developed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to bring 24-hour potable water supply to all households in the Commonwealth.

The report issued with the 2005 Omnibus Appropriations Act cited that the magnitude of the need to improve the CNMI water system far exceeds any possible resolution from funds made available to the Interior and Related Agencies Subcommittee on Appropriations, and that existing programmatic expertise of other federal agencies is not being used fully.

The report requires that the Secretary of the Interior, through the assistance of the Intergovernmental Group on Insular Areas, provide the House and Senate Committees on Appropriations with an implementation plan that fully utilizes and coordinates those authorities to ensure that the goals of the plans are achieved in a timely, cost-effective manner. The report is to contain an implementation plan to identify projects, responsible agency, funding needs, implementation schedule, any statutory or other changes necessary to implement the program, and a specific timetable for full completion.

Cohen, who was very receptive of Congress’s mandate, specified that the focus of the report to Congress would be the identification of funds to address CNMI’s water woes.

He mentioned bonds, public/private partnerships, and various agency’s grant and loan programs that could be collectively used. He stated that he would support the use of 702 multi-year assistance funds and Compact Impact payments to float bonds as part of the financing package.

Cohen said that the first meeting of the IGIA to discuss Congress’s mandate will be in January, and that Tenorio is invited to participate as a valuable resource person.

“The meeting was very positive and with Cohen’s support and leadership I have no doubt that the IGIA will produce a viable implementation program that will combine federal, local and possibly private funds to fix our water problems. I know with Cohen’s and the IGIA’s assistance the CNMI will have in the foreseeable future water that we can drink flowing 24 hours a day into our homes, schools, health centers and businesses,” said Tenorio.

The meeting also included a preliminary discussion on the possibilities of amending Headnote 3A of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule per the CNMI Legislature’s resolution requesting the assistance of both of Tenorio and Cohen.

Tenorio had just recently returned to Washington, D.C. from Saipan.