Senate staffers review CNMI federal projects

The powerful U.S. Senate Energy Committee began its review and fact-finding mission in the Commonwealth yesterday with the arrival and holding of various meetings with local authorities of its two staff members, Allen Stayman and Josh Johnson.

Stayman, a former Office of Insular Affairs Office director assigned to the CNMI, said that part of their purpose is to look at how federal funds are being spent on various projects in the Commonwealth.

“We are here to follow up on the use of the U.S. federal funds, the expenditures, and to follow up on issues of mutual concerns between the CNMI and the U.S. government,” Stayman told reporters.

He declined to give details, saying “We’ll have to wait what the governor has to say.”

Stayman and Johnson, who is a first-time visitor to the island, met with Gov. Juan N. Babauta and his Cabinet yesterday afternoon at the Governor’s Office.

The meeting was also attended by visiting CNMI consultants Daryl Owen and Jim Berne, who are also from Washington D.C.

Babauta said the CNMI raised local and federal issues that need congressional action in yesterday’s meeting.

He said these include the CNMI’s recovery of some $100 million in cover-over tax from the federal treasury, the passage of the CNMI delegate bill, reinstatement of some $8 million in federal appropriation for the Kagman watershed project, funding for the development of water system, and other infrastructure projects.

The Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, has distinguished itself as among the most nonpartisan, or bipartisan, in the U.S. Senate. It has far-reaching legislative jurisdiction over major issues including territories and insular areas, and water resources.

Babauta said yesterday’s discussion also covered issues on how to streamline the process in releasing federal funds to the CNMI. This may include speeding up the drawdown procedures to ensure that CNMI capital improvement project contractors get paid on time.

Babauta said the staffers’ visit is part of the committee’s regular work.

“It’s time for them to come out here. They are really supposed to be out here every year to do sight visits and talk about some of the issues,” said the governor.

Washington Rep. Pete A. Tenorio, who drove the visitors around, said it is a fact-finding and familiarization trip.

“I’m taking them around to show them capital improvement projects,” he said.

He said he had invited the two staffers to come over for them “to better understand what’s happening over here.”

“They’ve got to look at it with two eyes to be able to see it and appreciate the problems. That’s what their mission is over here,” he said.

During their two-day stay on island, Stayman and Johnson are tasked to assess and make a report on the infrastructure needs of the CNMI.

They are scheduled to do onsite inspection of the Public Health and Hemodialysis center project today.

The Senate staffers also met yesterday with U.S. District Court judge Alex Munson as well as OIA field representative Jeff Schorr and staff.