CNMI see US military changes as victory

Transcript

The US military has moved to produce a second draft environmental impact statement for its plans in the Northern Marianas after its first draft received strong opposition.

The Northern Marianas community is viewing the decision as a moral victory.
 
Our CNMI correspondent Mark Rabago told Koro Vaka'uta how the change in approach came about.

MARK RABAGO:  The deadline was October 2 and a little after that the US Department of Navy has acknowledged that there were some shortcomings on the Environmental Impact Statement on proposed live-fire training on Pagan and Tinian.  They said that they would come up with, they call it a supplemental EIS to try to mitigate problems in the first EIS.  Basically we see it as a victory here in the CNMI because the consultant and other government agencies and other private individuals who made comment moved the Department of the Navy, the US military in general, to look at the problems that would impact the CNMI once large scale training and bombing on Tinian and Pagan are allowed.  They're coming up with a new study.  It's due by early next year and hopefully it addresses our concerns.  The government here still believes that there are other alternatives than using CNMI land, which is very finite, in regards to military training.

KORO VAKA'UTA:  You mentioned that the US military in doing this have acknowledged some of the shortcomings of that draft EIS, did it specify what shortcomings there were?

MR:  They remained mum on other issues but basically they said there is potential impact on the groundwater aquifer on Tinian and coral on both islands Tinian and Pagan so they will include that in the revised EIS.  They didn't say the full scope because they really have to study and review the comments and consider especially the comments from the US Environment Special Agency and also the consultants that the CNMI hired, Dentons, about their concerns so they have to look at that.  Right now, the impact that they acknowledge is the groundwater aquifer on Tinian and Pagan and coral on both islands.  I think they were supposed to move some coral because of military training on Pagan and Tinian so they acknowledged that that could be a problem.

KV:  The original deadline for the draft EIS was on Friday or on October 2.  That deadline was greeted with even more opposition and concerns so this may answer that but I think we had for example questions about lack of consultation and the governor himself had concerns in his cover letter didn't he?

MR:  Aside from not having the EIS in both Chamorro and Carolinian, which are the official languages of the CNMI, they are also looking at preserving historical sites and then killing our lone industry, which is tourism by introducing live-fire training and large exercises on Tinian and Pagan.  So hopefully this will be addressed although it's still early in the game and you have to review the comments and all the possible impacts.