About 400 Rota households get free portable stoves, fuel

The Department of Public Works held its 2022 Rota Energy Educational Awareness event last July 23 and July 24, 2022. (CONTRIBUTED PHOTO)

An estimated 400 households on Rota participated in the two-day distribution of free portable gas stoves and butane gas canisters by the Division of Energy of the Department of Public Works.

Conducted as part of the 2022 Rota Energy Educational Awareness and Community Outreach Program Campaign Drive-Thru Distribution Event, the distribution was held on the weekend of July 23 and 24 at the Rota Man’Amko Center on Saturday in Sinapalo and Rota Roundhouse on Sunday in Songsong.

The event was open to residential homeowners, provided they present a valid government-issued identification card and a copy of a most recent CUC utility billing with the same name on the ID and CUC account. Each household received one gas stove and 16 butane gas canisters.

Tackling the continuous rise in utility rates, the outreach program was intended to encourage residents to remain resilient through energy conservation and reduce expenses by encouraging the use of the portable gas stoves in residential households.

Division director Thelma B. Inos expressed her gratitude to the Municipality of Rota’s staff and acting Rota mayor Jonovan H. Lizama for assisting with the distribution drive and increasing energy awareness in the community.

“Given the increase in [Commonwealth Utilities Corpo.] residential electric rates, we welcome any assistance to the general public from the government, federal or locally funded, especially here on Rota, because it’s getting more difficult to live with conditions caused by inflation and the high price of commodities,” said Lizama.

Inos added, “For Tinian and Saipan residents, the distribution drive will occur sometime mid- to late August. The Energy Division is waiting for the bulk supply of butane gas to arrive at the port before we can finalize the distribution dates. Again, each household will receive one portable gas stove and 16 butane gas canisters.”

The outreach was funded by the U.S. Department of Energy-State Energy Program and conducted in collaboration with the CNMI Office of the Governor, Office of Grants Management & State Clearinghouse.

Gov. Ralph DLG Torres was pleased with the turnout for the distribution drive and credits the Division of Energy and Office of Grants Management & State Clearinghouse for their planning and assistance to the Rota community. “I will push for more energy assistance projects to combat the high energy prices and ensure that the CNMI Energy Task Force looks into other alternative energy mediums and accelerates the movement of solar PV grid technology in the Commonwealth,” he added. (PR)