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‘Submerged lands vital to the CNMI’s survival’
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Posted on May 23 2006
Gov. Benigno R. Fitial is insisting on nine miles of submerged lands for the CNMI instead of the three miles usually granted to U.S. territories, saying this is necessary for the economic survival of the CNMI.
Fitial told reporters yesterday that the undersea lands of the CNMI is rich in minerals such as silver and zinc and these could be mined or extracted, to benefit the Commonwealth.
However, these minerals could only be found beyond the three-mile limit, he said, hence his insistence on the CNMI gaining control of these lands.
This comes in the wake of reports quoting Deputy Assistant Interior Secretary David Cohen as saying that the Bush administration will only support the CNMI’s claim over submerged lands extending no more than three miles offshore.
The two met Monday, together with Attorney General Matthew Gregory, to discuss the issue.
Fitial said that Cohen had urged him during the meeting for the CNMI to go along with the other U.S. territories, except Puerto Rico, which all have control of only three miles of their submerged lands.
The governor pointed out, though, that this is a political approach to the problem, of which he is not interested.
“I am not interested in politics. I am more interested in the life of the people, in economics,” he said. “I appreciate Mr. Cohen’s comments but I still maintain that these are the resources of the CNMI and we should be able to tap these for the benefit of our economy and our people.”
He said an Australian company has already expressed interest in setting up a mineral extraction operation here in the CNMI. However, it is necessary that the CNMI first gain control over its submerged lands before it can allow the mining of these resources.
“This issue is vital for the CNMI as we are talking here of our survival,” Fitial said.
The CNMI’s two main economic engines—the tourism and garment industries—are currently hurting, with low visitor arrivals and the closure of several factories. This has translated to lower revenues for the government.
