Fitial, leaders ‘more open’ to marine monument plan

Gov. Benigno Fitial and legislative leaders appear to have softened their opposition to the White House’s bid to designate the waters around the CNMI’s northern islands as a marine monument and are now “more open” to continuing talks on the plan with White House staff if it can provide major benefits to the Commonwealth, sources on Capital Hill disclosed Friday.

Along with most House and Senate lawmakers, the Fitial administration has long argued against the White House’s proposal—which would place the waters around the islands of Maug, Ascuncion and Uracus under increased federal protection.

However, political sources report that after conferences on the issue with White House Council on Environmental Quality chief James Connaughton and his staff earlier this week, Fitial and legislative leaders have become more receptive to the idea of holding further talks about the monument plan because the process could yield an agreement to restore the CNMI’s control over “submerged lands,” which it lost in a recent federal court decision.

In an interview, the governor’s spokesman, Charles Reyes, said Fitial was “pleased” by the last conference he and lawmakers held with Connaughton. Although Fitial remains opposed to the plan, he said, the possibility is there for continued negotiations.

“I don’t think that we’ve changed our position,’ said Reyes. “I do think that we’re a little more open and we’d be a little more receptive to a more concrete proposal with concrete benefits, especially with regard to submerged lands.”

Whether the Fitial administration will change its official position on the monument plan, he added, depends on the White House.

“If they are really able to give us something tangible, I think we may be open to reconsidering but at this point, the answer is still no, pending anything more substantial that would give us something valuable.”

Senate President Pete Reyes (I-Saipan), who attended the conferences with White House staff, agreed, saying that when Connaughton said the monument plan could include returning jurisdiction over near shore ocean resources to the Commonwealth, the tone of the discussions changed.

“That’s what convinced us that we need to leave this conversation open because it’s a promising situation for us and we can continue the dialogue on this if it has something that is for everyone’s benefit,” said Reyes. “That’s something that I believe is reasonable.”

However, Reyes cautioned that the CNMI’s political leaders have not yet reached any agreement with the White House.

“We’re not agreeing to any type of declaration at this time,” he said. “We have not yet seen anything tangible for us to agree on.”