10-year renewal of Tinian leaseback sought

The Marianas Public Lands Authority has formally asked the military for a 10-year extension of their leaseback agreement on almost 6,000 acres of Tinian land.

Acting MPLA commissioner Frank Eliptico, in a letter to the commander of the U.S. Naval Forces Marianas, echoed the CNMI government’s desire to amend some of the terms and conditions of the 1994 agreement to include other uses within the leaseback property.

During the MPLA board meeting on Friday, Eliptico said he has yet to receive a response from the U.S. Navy. But he reported that military officials he has spoken with appeared to favor granting the extension.

On Aug. 3, Eliptico asked the U.S. military for a temporary extension of the leaseback agreement to give the CNMI government ample time to draft a final proposal for the renewal.

But in a more recent message to U.S. Navy regional engineer Capt. David M. Boone, Eliptico confirmed that the Commonwealth wants to exercise its option to renew the leaseback agreement for an additional period of 10 years.

He also informed Boone of discussions among CNMI government agencies about a plan that will set forth the Commonwealth’s proposed land use activities for the areas affected by the leaseback agreement during the extension period.

Under the initial 10-year agreement, which expired last Aug. 8, the CNMI government is allowed to use the leaseback properties for agricultural and grazing purposes. In view of this, MPLA has issued several annual permits to allow Tinian residents to cultivate crops and raise livestock in the area for subsistence purposes.

Eliptico reported that the proposal, which would be submitted in the form of a request for an amendment to the leaseback agreement, will seek to include other uses, including certain limited, commercial activities, within the leaseback property.

“We believe that such activities will…stimulate economic and social growth on the island of Tinian, while at the same time, address the intent of the original leaseback agreement that any such land use proposals be consistent with the specific interests of the military and its articulated needs,” Eliptico told Boone.

The acting commissioner also reaffirmed the government’s commitment to fulfilling its obligations pursuant to the 1994 leaseback agreement.

One of these obligations—the survey of roadways and a youth camp within the leaseback area—has been delayed by recent typhoons and heavy rains, Eliptico said.

He, however, reported that the fieldwork for the surveys is now about 90 percent complete, and that mapping and certification is expected to conclude within the next 45 days.

Further, Eliptico acknowledged “a small balance of unpaid rental” that MPLA has yet to pay the U.S. military. “We assure you that we will settle this remaining balance as soon as the accounting figures are reconciled,” he said.

A provision in the CNMI’s Covenant with the United States allowed the U.S. military to lease 17,799 acres of land and waters on Tinian, 177 acres in Tanapag Harbor on Saipan, and the entire Farallon de Mendinilla, which has an approximate area of 206 acres.

The federal government paid a total of $19.52 million for a 50-year lease of the CNMI public lands. The lease will be effective until 2028.

In 1994, the Commonwealth and the U.S. Department of Defense signed a leaseback agreement so the Tinian government could use a portion of the public lands leased to the military.

Deborah Fleming, MPLA deputy commissioner for Tinian, said the leaseback agreement has since been amended. At present, only about 5,800 acres of land located in the middle of the Tinian remains covered by the agreement.

The Tinian legislative delegation expressed plans to construct a landfill and a wastewater treatment site, or a commercial center at the area.