Amid a telecommunications crisis, the administration says public informational meetings on the U.S. military\u2019s plans for live-fire training on Tinian and Pagan will continue.<\/p>\n
\u201cDespite the ongoing difficulties of communications, I am hopeful that the public will be able to attend these important meetings to learn more about the [CNMI Joint Military Training] draft environmental impact statement, and to learn how to best communicate these concerns to the Department of Defense,\u201d said acting governor Ralph Torres in a statement.<\/p>\n
The meetings are set for July 15 at the Pedro P. Tenorio Multi-Purpose Center in Susupe, July 16 on Tinian at the Tinian Sr. Jr. High School, and July 17 on Saipan again at the Multi-Purpose Center. The meetings will be at 5:30pm.<\/p>\n
Dentons, the firm hired by the government to review military impact documents detailing these live-fire plans, will lead these meetings.<\/p>\n
The administration describes the meetings as \u201cinformational.\u201d The public meetings aim to show the public how to fill out comment forms for the military\u2019s impact statement. The public will also hear from government departments and agencies on \u201careas of concern\u201d in the military\u2019s impact statement, and will hear what the government has been doing on the draft statement at this stage of the National Environmental Policy Act process.<\/p>\n
The administration also says they are looking at the possibility of asking for another extension of the comment period for the EIS as the telecommunications crisis continues. They are looking at a request for an extension for the comment period so people can have access to the Internet and submit comments online, the administration said.<\/p>\n
The comment period for the EIS has been extended two months from a deadline in June and ends early August. Under NEPA, there is no maximum amount of time set by the law to review the EIS.<\/p>\n
In May, hundreds of CNMI residents gathered at the U.S. military\u2019s public hearings on Saipan and Tinian for these live-fire plans.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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