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CUC emergency extended anew
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Posted on Jan 19 2014
Gov. Eloy S. Inos extended anew on Thursday the declaration of emergency for the Commonwealth Utilities Corp. pending, among other things, the Legislature’s confirmation of three of four appointees to the CUC board of directors. There has not been a functioning CUC board for years now.
The governor’s office, as a result of efforts to seek out persons who meet the complex statutory qualifications, submitted nominations to the Legislature and are now pending legislative consent.
“Once the legislature grants its consent and a quorum is established, this will no longer be an area of concern. In the meantime, CUC must continue to function,” the governor said in his Executive Order 2014-1.
Another reason for CUC’s continued emergency is the approximately $18 million it is owed by the Public School System and the Commonwealth Healthcare Corp. Millions more are owed by residential customers.
This comes weeks after CUC filed separate lawsuits to collect utility billings totaling $18.87 million from CHC, PSS, and the CNMI government.
“Although the Commonwealth economy has recently improved, the improvement is only marginal and the economy and the government’s finances are still fragile. This government strains to meet its obligations,” the governor said.
CUC also continues to lack U.S. workers with specialized skills and training for its operations.
It bears substantial obligation to deliver highly technical work in time to the satisfaction of the U.S. District Court and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, pursuant to two sets of consent or “stipulated orders.”
The CUC emergency declaration allows the governor to reprogram funds, and suspend procurement laws or rules to address the CUC emergency.
The Jan. 16, 2014 emergency declaration for CUC is in effect for another 30 days.
