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CUC pens comprehensive environmental accords
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Posted on Aug 05 2008
The Commonwealth Utility Corp. and Gov. Benigno R. Fitial have finalized agreements with the U.S. Department of Justice that set the course for CUC’s compliance with federal environmental standards. These agreements will be filed in federal court as stipulated orders.
Under one agreement CUC will complete work on Saipan’s drinking water system and will bring CUC’s sewage treatment systems into full compliance with the Clean Water Act. The second agreement is designed to resolve CUC’s used oil concerns, including the storage of oil in the Lower Base Tank 104.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has issued a number of administrative orders against CUC, dating back as far as 1999, which require compliance with drinking water and sewage treatment standards.
“In the past people wanted to hide from bad news,” said Fitial. “We decided to fix the problem instead.”
The agreements require CUC to reorganize its management and operations structure, hire engineers and other environmental professionals, submit financial and infrastructure plans, and undertake a number of interim construction projects. EPA, the Department of Interior, and the CNMI capital improvement program have all dedicated funds and other resources to CUC’s environmental overhaul.
“Many of the engineers and environmental professionals required under the agreements have already been hired by CUC,” said CUC executive director Tony Muña. “We’ve been reorganizing agency operations for some time now. The stipulated orders just guarantee that CUC crosses the finish line in full compliance.”
The agreements, signed by Fitial and Muña, have been forwarded to the U.S. Justice Department for signatures of federal officials.[B][I] (PR)[/I][/B]
