Interior provides nearly $ 1M grant to CNMI

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Acting Interior assistant secretary Nikolao Pula made available last week $994,711 to the CNMI to improve water distribution, waste management, and hospital billing services. One grant was provided for a joint government/non-profit partnership to improve efforts in addressing and prosecuting sexual violence cases.

“Requests submitted to the Office of Insular Affairs for grant assistance always outweigh the available resources,” said Pula. “We are pleased that we can support some of the worthy projects prioritized by Gov. Ralph [DLG] Torres as they will have a direct impact toward improving lives for our fellow Americans living in the CNMI.”

The projects approved for 2017 are as follow:

• Explore potential sources of fresh groundwater ($300,000) for the Commonwealth Utilities Corp.’s Division of Water to fund a study of potential sources of fresh water for the people of Saipan. CUC is collaborating with the U.S. Geological Survey to conduct a two-year study to update the understanding of fresh groundwater availability and provide information on the sustainable management of the island’s fragile groundwater resources. Saipan has a population of nearly 50,000 which is more than 85 percent of the territory’s total population.

• Improve hospital billing services ($250,000) for the Commonwealth Healthcare Corp. to improve the chargemaster/fee schedule and ensure all services within the hospital and clinics across the territory are captured at a reasonable and sustainable rate. Funds will include training for improved coding and billing for Medicare and Medicaid services. This project responds to CNMI Public Law 16-51, which mandates that health centers in the territory improve the fee capture rates for services and financial autonomy.

• Upgrade water distribution at the Kagman farm plots ($92,606) to the Department of Lands and Natural Resources for procurement of water meters, pressure relief valves, water pumps, pressure regulators and other related equipment to increase water production, reduce waste, and provide reliable water distribution for local farmers and ranchers. The Kagman farm plots produce nearly 75 percent of all produce, meat and specialty crops for Saipan and lessen the need for imported foods.  The CNMI Farmer’s Market Association advocated for the necessity of this project, citing the advantages of providing fresh produce to the local populace and private businesses on the island.  This is funded under the OIA Maintenance Assistance Program.

• Study waste disposal and recycling alternatives ($193,620) to the Department of Public Works to explore the possibilities of providing government-operated trash pickup and recycling services for Saipan with the goal of increasing recycling options for residents, cutting down on illegal trash burning, and eliminating related public health hazards. From 2013 to 2015, the CNMI experienced a 12-percent rise in monthly waste tonnage from an average of 100 to 112 tons per month at its Lower Base transfer station. The feasibility study will also provide critical information needed for managing the island’s only landfill, the Marpi landfill, which is projected, by CNMI officials, to reach maximum capacity 15 years earlier than expected.

• Refurbish waste incinerator for ports ($111,900) to the Commonwealth Ports Authority to procure parts and equipment to refurbish the CNMI ports incinerator unit at the Francisco C. Ada Saipan International Airport and to fund a preventive maintenance program. The incinerator system was installed more than a decade ago and is the only available incinerator for disposing of waste from aircraft and sea-going vessels that make port on Saipan. The USDA mandates that waste not accumulate beyond three days and air and sea vessels serving the island would be highly impacted if the incinerator were to experience down time exceeding that timeframe. Saipan currently services 13 direct flights from Guam, China, South Korea, Japan and Hong Kong and anticipates three new airline routes to the island in the next year. This is funded under the OIA Maintenance Assistance Program. 

• Northern Marianas Coalition Against Domestic & Sexual Violence ($46,585) to strengthen the CNMI’s capacity to address sexual assault in a joint government/non-profit collaboration with the Commonwealth Health Center by creating a comprehensive medical response for all three islands of Saipan, Tinian, and Rota. This response, the Sexual Assault Forensic Examiners Program, will include recruitment, training, and retention of examiners and nurses to attend to the needs of victims of sexual assault, collect evidence that may be used in prosecution, and testify in court when necessary. 

Maintenance Assistance Program grants through the Office of Insular Affairs are used to promote and develop institutions and capabilities that improve the operation and maintenance of island infrastructure.

Technical Assistance Program grants are intended for short-term, non-capital projects and are not meant to supplant local funding of routine operating expenses of an island government. TAP priorities include projects that foster development of the insular areas in the following areas: accountability, financial management, economic development, education, energy, management control initiatives, disaster assistance, natural and cultural resources, capacity building, public safety/emergencies, health, and invasive species management.

All funding for 2017 for the CNMI was provided through the TAP program except for two, which were funded under MAP.

Funding for the MAP and TAP programs under CFDA# 15.875 at https://www.grants.gov/ is available to any of the four U.S. territories of the U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Guam, and the CNMI, as well as to the three freely associated states of the Federated States of Micronesia, the Marshall Islands, and Palau. Funding under both programs is appropriated annually by the U.S. Congress. (DOI)