PAMC resolution protests plan to dump nuke waste into Pacific

Standing from left, Jonovan Lizama, Thomasa P. Mendiola, and Jim Atalig. Seated from left, Ana Demapan-Castro, Antonia Tudela, and Juanita M. Mendiola. Not in photo are Joseph E. Santos, William Taitano, and Danny Aquino. (CONTRIBUTED PHOTO)

The Pacific Alliance of Municipal Councils has adopted a resolution that protest against and condemns the Japanese government’s plan to release approximately 1.1 million tons of treated nuclear wastewater from the Fukushima nuclear power plant into the Pacific Ocean.

PAMC Resolution 005-2022 was adopted at the alliance’s 18th meeting on Saipan at the Saipan and Northern Islands Municipal Council Office last Monday, Dec. 5.

According to the resolution, it is the Japanese government’s plan to release into the Pacific Ocean about 43,965 gallons of treated nuclear wastewater per month or 527,578 gallons per year for 30 years. This plan is likely to begin by the summer of next year, 2023.

The PAMC resolution passed is similar to the one introduced by PAMC and adopted by the Association of Mayors of the Mariana Islands on Nov. 18, 2022.

Both resolutions will be forwarded to the offices of the U.S. delegates of Guam and the CNMI, all members of the Guam and CNMI leadership, the Japanese Embassy in the United States, the Japanese Consuls’ Office in Guam and CNMI and the U.N. Human Rights Council.

The incoming members of the municipal councils were invited to join the meeting for orientation, but due to technical difficulties, the Rota and Tinian municipal council-elects were unable to join the meeting and two of the council-elects from Saipan had prior commitments.

“Hopefully, they will be able to join us in our 19th meeting scheduled for Dec. 15, because we still have pending matters to address before the new members of the municipal councils are sworn into office in January next year,” said PAMC president Jim Atalig.

The discussion on the outreach schedules on the popular Initiative to empower the municipalities was tabled and added to the Dec. 15 meeting agenda where all council members elect will, again, be invited.

“We hope that the new members will agree to continue in pursuing this issue and make it a reality,” said PAMC member Ana Demapan-Castro. “We wanted to impress upon the new members the importance of having authority over our immediate and unique jurisdictions and implore them to continue fighting for it.”

Aside from Atalig and Demapan-Castro, other members of PAMC are secretary/treasurer Jonovan Lizama and members William Taitano of the Rota Municipal Council; member Antonia Tudela and Daniel Aquino of the Saipan & Northern Islands Municipal Council; PAMC vice president Juanita M. Mendiola, and members Joseph E. Santos and Thomas P. Mendiola of the Tinian & Aguiguan Municipal Council. (Saipan Tribune)