Looming military plans and the years of failure to close Tinian\u2019s open-air dump appears to have pushed the construction of a new landfill off the table, but the decision will ultimately rest with the Department of Public Works, who will decide whether the military can ship waste to the Marpi landfill on Saipan.<\/p>\n
Tinian\u2019s unlined dump collects all of island\u2019s solid waste, despite an administrative cease and desist order in 2010. The disposal site violates the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, which bans open dumps.<\/p>\n
The Marines Forces Pacific, Bureau of Environmental and Coastal Quality, the governor\u2019s Capital Improvement Projects office, landfill contractors, Tinian municipality representatives, and the Department of Public Works, among others, met yesterday to continue talks whether the military would help build a landfill on Tinian or transfer its wastes to Saipan.<\/p>\n
It was earlier reported that the new landfill option, or Fukuoka landfill, would require 15 more hectares of land. Alter City Group recently obtained the lease to the property where the current dump sits.<\/p>\n
Officials came away from the yesterday\u2019s meeting noting the construction of new landfill could take an earliest of 10 years.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe had a great discussion,\u201d MARFORPAC project manager Tim Robert said. \u201cI think everyone around the table agreed that a landfill\u2014in order to meet the joint-use solution for Tinian and [the military]\u2014a landfill doesn\u2019t quite meet that requirement. It doesn\u2019t meet that timeline,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt this point, we\u2019ve left it up to DPW, BECQ, and CIP to discuss with the Tinian mayor some of the solutions that we talked about today. At this point, we are waiting to hear back from them,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Acting DPW secretary James Ada said he would be sitting down soon with the Tinian Legislative Delegation, Tinian Mayor Joey San Nicolas, their legal counsel, and the CIP office, along with DPW\u2019s Solid Waste Management to discuss the issue.<\/p>\n
They aim to find out \u201cwhat\u2019s the best solution\u201d for Tinian, Ada told Saipan Tribune. \u201cOnce we come up with the final plan, we will advise [the military].\u201d<\/p>\n
BECQ administrator Frank Rabauliman said the military is required to dispose of their trash in a Resource and Conservation Act-permitted dump.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a must,\u201d he said. \u201cThe meeting today focused on that very last option [transfer waste]. I was sharing with them that BECQ\u2019s purpose is we simply regulate DPW. DPW is really the state agency that oversees solid waste management. In that regard, the decision to accept solid waste management lies with the DPW secretary,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
He said the military indicated on Wednesday that it would take somewhere around 10 to 15 years to build a functional landfill. \u201cIt\u2019s a long time,\u201d he said. \u201cBecause of that, they wanted a quick solution. They\u2019re thinking of seeing this forward basing to Tinian as soon as maybe next year.\u201d<\/p>\n
He also pointed to CIP\u2019s current transfer station project waiting in the wings.<\/p>\n
\u201cWithout a destination to dispose of our waste stream\u2014whether that\u2019s going to be a landfill on Tinian or transporting it up to the landfill here\u2014the CIP [office] cannot move forward with the transfer station on Tinian. The transfer station by definition is simply that, a transfer station, which means it\u2019s just a holding place.\u201d<\/p>\n
According to Rabauliman, a Tinian mayor representative indicated that they are still moving forward with planning a landfill on Tinian.<\/p>\n
He also noted impacts to Saipan with the transfer station option. \u201cBy accepting waste from off-island, you are essentially reducing the life of the landfill. At some point, if you accept the waste stream off island, the landfill is going to be reduced.\u201d<\/p>\n
In that event, the landfill needs to be closed, \u201cWe would have to look to the Legislature for another landfill.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rabauliman said he gathered from the military that solid waste per soldier is estimated at 7 lbs per day, with as much as 3,100 personnel on Tinian.<\/p>\n
The military has plans for treatment facility to separate waste from recyclable materials. This would reduce the cost of shipment for waste to Saipan, he noted.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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