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San Nicolas prods CUC to look into old power plant
A Commonwealth Utilities Corp. board member wants CUC’s management team to look into the possible safety hazards posed by an abandoned power plant on Tinian.
CUC board member Eric San Nicolas, who represents Tinian, urged the board yesterday to look into the abandoned power plant in the District 2 area of Tinian, saying the site is already rusting and possibly a health and safety hazard to residents.
The power plant was previously operated by the Department of Public Works before CUC took over and built fuel storage tanks. The plant was ultimately handed over to the Tinian municipality.
“No matter who owns the land now, as good custodians, we should never adopt the business practice of deferring it to someone else simply over fear of liability. The livelihood and the health of people’s lives, especially those that live around the facility that is dilapidated and rusting, depend on [its removal],” said San Nicolas.
According to him, there are at least six residents within a hundred meters of the power plant.
“The power plant and the fuel storage tank have been there for over 20 years already. I remember playing there as a child with my cousins from the districts 1 and 2 areas, and it is still there,” said San Nicolas.
“It has been there for 20-plus years. It is about time that we look at it and see what we need to do about it,” he added.
After further deliberation, the CUC board agreed to direct acting CUC executive director Gary Camacho to look into the matter.
“There is a discussion on the board [regarding who shoulders the costs] because the ownership of the land went from DPW to CUC to the municipality. …Whether it is going to be CUC or any of the three…is beside the point. The point is to assess it, to know what it will take to resolve the issue [and] if there is a health hazard, to [address] that issue.
