Let the people own CUC

My name is Frederick Prosser. I have been associated with Saipan since 1960. My wife and I came here to live in January 1991. I got a job at CUC where I worked until July 2004. I want to make it very clear that the opinions and ideas that I am going to put forth here are mine and mine alone.

Most of the residents of Saipan believe that this mess with CUC came to be as a result of high fuel prices. I say no. This whole mess was very well planned and carried out. I want to go back to 2000.

Every time the board of directors meet, one of the items discussed was how could they privatize the power plant. Well, the fact was that they could not do it. The power plant was making too much money, so they just hid and wait. When the price of fuel started going up, they saw their chance. They used the fuel prices as an excuse to run the power plant into the ground. Now they could openly try to privatize the plant. Do not be fooled; the members of the board are not acting alone. There are several very influential men working with them. When they get the job done, they all stand to make a lot of money.

So what do we do? First, block privatization at all cost. Secondly, hold people accountable for what has been done. There have been three decisions made that have hurt CUC. First was the change in fuel from heavy oil to diesel. We all know who made that decision. Second was the removal of the electronic reclosures from the power distribution system. This left the power plant without any protection. Now every time there is a problem with any part of the distribution system, it is going to trip the power plant offline and we have “islandwide power outage.” It also increases the risk of damage to a generator (Who made this decision?). Third, the use of non-treated water to cool the engines in the power plant. The water used to cool those engines is supposed to be purified water that will not let slag deposit in the engines blocks, the pipes to and from the radiators and the radiators themselves. OK, what is slag? Take a pan and fill it with CUC water. Let most of the water boil off. All the white deposit on the inside of the pan is slag. That is what is building up in the cooling systems in the power plant every day now. (Who made this decision?) We need to know who made these decisions and hold them accountable for their actions.

Let’s go back to privatization. If we let the governor do what he wants to do, I will give odds that an off-island company will end up with the power plant. They will go in and clean up the mess and get the plant back on its feet and they will make money. But guess what, all the money will go off-island.

How do we stop this? There is a way. We the residents of the island can group together and buy the plant. We have the expertise and leadership on the island to clean this mess up and we can make money on it. We will need the help of a corporate lawyer. We will have to establish the true value of the plant as it is right now. Then we can sell shares to the residents of the island and get control of our power.

Remember one thing. Whoever controls the power controls the island. Do we want that power in the hands of an off island company?

Senator Pete Reyes, for years I have had a fair amount of respect for you. Well, no longer. Your attack on Rep. Tina Sablan was totally out of line. For lawmakers to have a difference of opinions is a good thing. But personal attacks are not part of lawmaking. Personally, on the bill in question (your pet projects) that you did not have money to pay for, I stand with Rep. Sablan.

As for the comment that Rep. Sablan needs to get on the train or be left behind, did anyone ever stop to think that she does not want to get on that train? Personally, I hope that all the good old boys in the Legislature stay on that train. That train is headed to Banzai Cliff and there will not be a stop at the end of line. Have a nice ride. Wake up, times are changing. You are going to have to answer for what you do in the future.
[B] Frederick Prosser[/B]