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Kia’aina visits Capital Hill on a courtesy call
The U.S. Department of the Interior’s Assistant Secretary for Insular Areas Esther Kia’aina paid a courtesy call to Gov. Eloy S. Inos on Capital Hill last Monday.
According to Press Secretary Ivan Blanco, it was the first time for the two leaders “to officially meet.”
In an earlier interview, Kia’aina said her planned meeting with Inos will involve “bilateral discussions.”
Before the courtesy call, Kia’aina delivered a speech during the groundbreaking ceremony of the closure of the Puerto Rico dumpsite held the same day.
In the ceremony, Kia’aina also gave a letter of approval to Inos grating the governor’s request for an additional $1.3 million funding for the closure of the dumpsite.
The courtesy call and speech at the groundbreaking ceremony were at the top of Kia’aina’s agenda on her visit to the CNMI.
Within the same day, the official also met CNMI leaders to discuss the CNMI workforce and economic development and other concerns.
She was also expected to discuss topics such as immigration, climate change, military training, and economic development. Kia’aina also met with the Northern Islands Mayor Jerome K. Aldan and Tinian Mayor Joey San Nicolas.
Overdue
The long-awaited closure of the Puerto Rico dumpsite and its planned conversion into a park inched closer to reality on Monday with a groundbreaking ceremony led by CNMI leaders and witnessed by U.S. Department of the Interior’s Assistant Secretary for Insular Areas Esther Kia’aina.
This is one of the biggest federally funded capital improvement projects for the CNMI.
Armed with an initial funding of more than $20 million, the Inos administration awarded the project to a private contractor last March.
Monday’s groundbreaking signals the start of work on the project, which took 12 years and a number administrations to finally take off.
