OPD getting $161K for Solid Waste Operator Training on Tinian, Rota

The Office of Planning and Development is receiving $161,000 in Solid Waste Management Grants Program funds as part of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda to bring state-of-the-art infrastructure and economic growth to rural communities.

Delegate Gregorio Kilili C. Sablan (D-MP) disclosed in his e-kilili newsletter over the weekend that, as announced by the U.S. Department of Agriculture last Wednesday, the grant funds will be used to help develop and teach Integrated Solid Waste Operator Training to solid waste operators on Tinian and Rota.

Sablan said the training will provide operators in an integrated solid waste management environment the expertise to comply with regulations and properly manage various waste streams.

The training will be directed at operators in landfills, transfer stations, green waste processing sites, appliance recycling sites, and E-waste recycling sites.

USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack said they are funding 216 projects in 45 states, Northern Mariana Islands, and Puerto Rico.

According to Chris Kanazawa, USDA Rural Development state director for Hawaii and the Western Pacific, the funding under the Biden-Harris Investing in America agenda invests in rural communities to build a clean-energy economy that will combat climate change and make the communities more resilient.

Gregorio Kilili C. Sablan