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NMI lawmakers take up CUC woes with feds
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Posted on Aug 11 2008
[B]WASHINGTON, D.C.[/B]—Leaders of the CNMI Legislature met Monday last week with officials at the Department of the Interior’s Office of Insular Affairs to address power generation problems at the Commonwealth Utilities Corp.
Senate President Pete P. Reyes, House Speaker Arnold I. Palacios, and Rep. Diego T. Benavente, chairman of the House Standing Committee on Federal and Foreign Relations, discussed CUC’s predicament with acting Deputy Assistant Secretary Doug Domenech, Director Nikolao Pula, and other staff members of the Office of Insular Affairs.
The legislative delegation was in Washington all week for meetings with federal agencies in an effort to resolve the acute power crisis in the CNMI. An aging power infrastructure and a sustained increase in the price of diesel fuel have resulted in daily rolling blackouts and sharply higher utility bills.
The delegation was unified in the desire to resolve the situation at home.
“We came to Washington to discuss CUC because it is the most pressing issue now facing the people of the Commonwealth,” said Palacios.
Reyes agreed, adding, “There is no other project more important to the Commonwealth at this time than the rehabilitation of our power plants and the stabilization of our power supply. A successful economic recovery plan requires as its centerpiece a reliable source of power for existing businesses, new investment, and residential consumers.”
Speaking with federal officials on Monday, Benavente requested immediate action, stating, “It is critical that we move forward with a specific plan to provide for a secure power supply, improve efficiency in power production, and ease the burden of skyrocketing utility bills on residents in the Commonwealth.”
Reyes, Palacios, and Benavente presented a recovery strategy that includes, among other things, both the rehabilitation of existing power generation facilities and the development of new energy sources.
The delegation also suggested other possible remedial measures such as the construction of a new large-scale fuel storage facility and an increase in technical assistance from unused CIP funding.
OIA officials were receptive to the ideas presented and will be meeting further with CNMI officials in an effort to find a solution to the Commonwealth’s power emergency.[B][I] (PR)[/I][/B]
