Pepero: Gov’t is addressing PCB problem

Acting Gov. Jesus R. Sablan yesterday made fresh attempt to assure residents of Tanapag of government efforts to rid the village of the polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) contamination in the wake of the alarm sounded by Greenpeace.

The international environmental group has declared the northern coastal village on Saipan a toxic hot spot to compel the U.S. government to clean up the mess left behind by its military forces stationed on the island in the 1960s.

While the Greenpeace’s action will draw international attention to the problem, Mr. Sablan stressed both the CNMI and federal governments have put in place measures to address the contamination.

“It will help tremendously if we have the concern of an international organization. But the whole idea is not to pressure anyone. The main objective here is to respond to the problem of the PCB contamination,” he told reporters.

At the same time, the CNMI official tried to allay fears the move by Greenpeace may trigger, citing the initial clean-up undertaken by federal authorities as well as other remedies put up by local agencies.

“We are working on it. It’s not that we are sitting idle and doing nothing,” Mr. Sablan said.

But Maureen Penjueli, Greenpeace toxic campaigner, decried the efforts as “pitiful” since the contamination still poses a high risk to village residents despite discovery of the PCBs more than 10 years ago.

The highly toxic chemicals were contained in the electrical capacitors left behind by the U.S. military in the 1960s. These capacitors were later used by villagers as boundary markers, road blocks for driveways, windbreaks for barbecue sites and headstones. Some capacitors were found open as their inner phenolic linings were used to decorate rooftops and cemeteries in the village.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has claimed that it was able to clear the contaminated area in 1997, although it has yet to clean up the Lower Base cemetery where a high concentration of PCB was found, as it left behind piles of highly contaminated soil.

Gov. Pedro P. Tenorio last year closed off the cemetery to the public to protect them for possible contamination and to allow the Army Corps and local agencies to carry out temporary measures to reduce the risks.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will soon assess the Tanapag area to determine the impact of the PCBs to the environment and health of the residents.

Likewise, the Division of Environmental Quality has begun conducting an environmental survey in the area to gather information that will help trace the presence of chemicals contaminants, including the PCB.

“We have aggressively worked with federal agencies in charge of that matter, like the EPA, and the Army Corps has contracted private companies to do the clean-up,” said Mr. Sablan.

“This government is actively pursuing and ensuring that our people in Tanapag that the village will be safe from PCB contamination. We are working on that,” he added.