Aldan asks DPL to designate lot for new Tinian landfill

Tinian Mayor Edwin P. Aldan has requested the Department of Public Lands to designate a piece of public land on Tinian for a proposed landfill site.

In a letter to DPL Secretary Teresita A. Santos, Aldan said the prompt acquisition and designation of this land, which measures 26,093 square meters, will enable them to swiftly address their solid waste management concerns and fulfill their obligations of being good stewards the environment.

Sen. Karl R. King-Nabors (R-Tinian), who chairs the Tinian Legislative Delegation, and 19th Tinian Municipal Council chair Joseph E. Santos also signed the letter.

When asked yesterday about Aldan’s request, Santos said they are moving through the process expeditiously, but there are requirements that need to be met first before the issuance of the landfill designation.

She said the surveyors have just completed the survey work, subject to approval and recordation. The Office of Planning and Development will then process the landfill designation, obtain the necessary signatories, record the designation, and forward it to the Municipality of Tinian.

Aldan said it is the goal of the Tinian leadership to permanently close the existing landfill in the next 10 years and they are now working with the U.S. Department of Defense and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on building a new landfill at the Atgidon site, located within the area that is leased by the U.S. military.

The mayor said the Municipality of Tinian and Aguiguan has been talking with the OPD, Department of Public Works, Bureau of Environmental and Coastal Quality, and federal partners from the EPA in their efforts to address Tinian’s solid waste concerns.

Part of their immediate and most pressing concern is that the existing landfill is non-compliant with regulations, Aldan said.

In order to address this, he said, the municipality is required to obtain a permit for the existing dump and follow through with EPA and BECQ’s orders for compliance.

Aldan said once the existing landfill is permitted, the municipality can then address all other solid waste concerns with regards to landfill capacity, implementing tipping fees, etc., thus ensuring compliance with national environmental regulations and obtaining federal grant funding for landfill development.