House weighs resolution vs Obama plan to expand Pacific marine monuments

Members of the House of Representatives weighed yesterday afternoon Rep. Richard Seman’s (R-Saipan) newly-introduced resolution asking President Barack Obama to withdraw his proposed expansion of the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument—which does not include the Marianas Trench Marine Monument—but ended up not voting on it for not meeting the 24-hour advance public notice.

House Speaker Joseph Deleon Guerrero (Ind-Saipan) and others want to seek public input first before acting on what some consider a “preemptive” resolution that does not have anything to do with the CNMI.

Seman’s House Joint Resolution 18-19 was placed on calendar for action in the next session.

However, the speaker tasked the Committees on Natural Resources and Foreign and Federal Relations to seek input from relevant agencies and the general public, for reporting to the body.

The speaker said he has concerns about opposing Obama’s proposed expansion of a marine monument that does not even include the CNMI.

Seman, in response, said if Obama could expand another marine monument in the Pacific, it’s only a matter of time before Obama or any future American president do the same with the Marianas Trench Marine Monument around Maug, Uracas and Asuncion, the CNMI’s three northernmost islands.

He said time is of the essence to act on his resolution, because the deadline for submitting comments to the president’s proposal is Aug. 15, or next Friday.

Obama’s proposed expansion of a Pacific marine sanctuary is about the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument, which is south and west of Hawaii, protecting areas around Kingman Reef, Palmyra Atoll, Howland Island, Baker Island, Jarvis Island, Johnston Atoll, and Wake Island.

Like the Marianas Trench Monument, the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument was also established by President Bush in 2009.

Rep. Felicidad Ogumoro (R-Saipan) echoed Seman’s sentiments and urged her colleagues to adopt the resolution.

Deleon Guerrero, in reviewing the bill that members saw only yesterday, pointed to a portion of the joint resolution stating that the 18th CNMI Legislature “joins the people of the CNMI and the region in voicing its opposition to any expansion of any national marine monument within the Western Pacific.”

He said House members do not even know if people of the CNMI oppose such expansion of a marine monument outside the Marianas, because the resolution has yet to be referred to a committee to seek public input.

Moreover, because the resolution was introduced only on the floor yesterday, it did not meet the 24-hour advance public notice so the House did not vote on it.

Nevertheless, because of time considerations, the body decided to place the resolution on calendar for action next session, before Aug. 15.

Seman, in his resolution, said Obama now proposes an expansion of the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument to extend its borders from the current 50-mile boundary from island and atoll shores to 200 miles out to sea.

“Such expansion means that a local fisherman must travel 400 miles in open ocean just to gain access to fishing grounds, which makes fishing economically not feasible, effectively ending thousands of years of traditional fishing and denying island people one of the few ways in which they can support themselves and live independently in the modern world,” he said in his six-page resolution.

Delegate Gregorio Kilili C. Sablan (Ind-MP) earlier said the Marianas Trench Marine National Monument “is not included” in Obama’s proposed vast expansion of a Pacific Ocean marine sanctuary.

But he said the CNMI still has to be prepared to respond to any suggestions from other entities to expand the Marianas Trench Monument.

2 resolutions adopted

The House adopted two resolutions yesterday afternoon, including Floor Leader Ralph Demapan’s (Cov-Saipan) House Resolution 18-60, honoring retirees for their contributions to the CNMI’s economic development.

Demapan said this is also in keeping with upcoming Labor Day celebrations.

The House also adopted Vice Speaker Frank Dela Cruz’s (Ind-Saipan) House Joint Resolution 18-18 requesting Gov. Eloy S. Inos to formally endorse the Reconnaissance Report and support the movement to reconstitute the Commonwealth Utilities Corp. as a consumer-owned cooperative.

HJR 18-18’s adoption came about the same time Lt. Gov. Jude U. Hofschneider administered the oath of office to two CUC board members: Eric Cruz San Nicolas representing Tinian and Evelyn Manglona Mendiola representing Rota.