Pete A. appeals to Bush on CUC crisis

In what he calls an act of desperation, Resident Rep. Pete A. Tenorio wrote President Bush asking for help with the power situation on Saipan.

Tenorio in his letter called for federal intervention in the ongoing power crisis. He said he had to make the request because the Fitial administration refuses to do so.

“This letter is being sent in desperation,” Tenorio told the President. “I know fully well that it is the responsibility of the governor to request federal disaster assistance, but due to his reluctance and inaction to do so, I am appealing to you for assistance.”

Press secretary Charles P. Reyes Jr. said the administration is working with the U.S. Department of the Interior in finding solutions to the power problem. Nikolao Pula, chief of the Interior Department’s Office of Insular Affairs, will visit the CNMI later this month and will meet with Gov. Benigno R. Fitial regarding the power issue, among other things.

Reyes also noted that Fitial, at the beginning of his administration, asked the U.S. Congress for bailout money for the Commonwealth Utilities Corp., but nothing came out of that request.

“Frankly, I would not put much credence into Pete A. Tenorio’s statement regarding the Governor or into his letter to President Bush. He’s running for the congressional delegate position, and he is using this as a publicity stunt to stay relevant in a crowded delegate race he may be trailing as a result of his strong endorsement for federalization,” Reyes said.

In a press release, Tenorio said he supports the initiative by local citizens to petition the President to invoke the Stafford Act and authorize the Federal Emergency Management Administration to mobilize other federal agencies and resources to assist CUC.

The administration has downplayed this option, saying the federal act does not apply to Saipan’s power crisis. Citing an opinion secured by the CNMI Department of Finance, Reyes said the Stafford Act only applies to a major natural disaster, such as an earthquake, or a major man-made disaster, such as a terrorist attack. “Previous neglect, mismanagement, or corruption apparently do not qualify as a man-made disaster under the language of the federal law,” Reyes said.

Tenorio said FEMA has given him a different interpretation of the law. “My conversations with FEMA have indicated that it does not matter the cause of the disaster, only its effect on human life. FEMA responded to the bridge collapse in Minnesota last year, and that was caused by a lack of maintenance,” he said.

CUC has not been able to meet daily peak demand for power for more than a year. Recently, CUC has only been able to generate less than half of what is needed to power Saipan. This has resulted in frequent power outages throughout the island.

Tenorio in his letter to Bush noted that the government has exhausted federal funds earmarked for needed infrastructure attempting to repair Saipan’s main generators, but they continue to fail and the situation grows worse everyday.

He also said that many households have been forced to disconnect and many businesses have closed because they cannot afford to pay the almost 50 cents a kilowatt-hour rate charged by CUC.

“Therefore, Mr. President, on behalf of your fellow American citizens residing in the CNMI and as their duly elected representative here in Washington, I respectfully request assistance in not only assessing the scope and magnitude of this catastrophe, but also in finding an immediate and timely resolution to this urgent humanitarian crisis,” Tenorio said.