Tinian mayor in RP to work on closing landfill

Tinian Mayor Jose P. San Nicolas is currently in the Philippines to meet with some groups that can possibly close the Tinian landfill and open a new dumpsite.

John E. Untalan, chief executive officer for the Office of the Mayor for the Municipality of Tinian and Aguiguan, told Saipan Tribune that the mayor is checking out a process to close a dumpsite that has been developed in the Philippines and San Nicolas is now negotiating with some companies there for the possibility of using the same system here.

“Definitely there’s a lot of procedures that need to be done to officially close the Tinian landfill,” he said.

Untalan explained that part of the island’s efforts to have an international airport and accept international flights is to relocate the present landfill, which is adjacent to the Tinian airport runway.

“The landfill is within the six-mile radius right now of the airline. So that has to be moved. That’s why the mayor is in the Philippines. He is meeting with some possible groups that can close down the landfill for us,” he said.

Untalan said they are still working on where to put the new dump.

“The problem with the landfill right now is it just too close to the airport. We need to move it from the airport. And it is not adequate for the size of Tinian. Maybe before, it was adequate for Tinian,” he said.

Untalan said the dumpsite’s size is not possible now, with the growth of the island and the building of a new casino by the MRDC Investment.

San Nicolas declared a state of disaster emergency on Tinian in November 2006, citing the government’s failure to close the island’s unsafe dumpsite in over eight years.

The mayor stated in his declaration that Commonwealth and federal officials had warned Tinian of the dangers of above and below-ground fires at the landfill.

The accumulation of carbon monoxide in nearby areas is reportedly polluting Barcinas Bay, a major fishing and diving spot on the island.

The landfill has also been hampering aircraft landing due to fires. The Federal Aviation Administration had already required the Commonwealth Ports Authority to close the dumpsite and relocate it away from the airport.

The landfill is located within a public land that is being negotiated for lease by MRDC, which has been planning to build a casino.

In July 2007, then acting Gov. Timothy Villagomez vetoed a House bill appropriating $54,000 for the relocation of the landfill.

Villagomez said that, among other things, the amount was not enough to fund the closure of the landfill and its relocation and that $54,000 is grossly insufficient.

He said approximately $5.2 million is needed to construct a new landfill so the old one could cease operations.

Tinian has been beefing up its Immigration staff in anticipation of an economic boom that is expected to come soon due to U.S. military buildup and the opening of a new casino, among other projects.