The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is hosting a free webinar for Pacific Islanders on the effective methods for environmental justice considerations in National Environmental Policy Act reviews tomorrow, Friday, Sept. 24, from 8am to 9:30am.<\/p>\n
House Committee on Natural Resources chair Rep. Sheila Babauta (D-Saipan), and Coastal Resources Management acting director Richard Salas will be presenting the CNMI\u2019s experiences with the National Environmental Policy Act process on the island.<\/p>\n
The webinar, part of USEPA\u2019s Environmental Justice Webinar Series for Tribes and Indigenous Peoples, will provide an overview of the NEPA process, as well as a discussion on methods for taking into account environmental justice in NEPA reviews.<\/p>\n
NEPA requires federal agencies to assess the environmental impacts of their proposed actions, i.e., making decisions on permit applications; adopting federal land management actions; and constructing highways and other publicly-owned facilities\u2014before making decisions.<\/p>\n
Babauta told Saipan Tribune she is grateful to be given an opportunity to share some local experiences with the NEPA process in the CNMI. \u201cWhat I want to emphasize is that we aren’t all given the same resources and tools to navigate that avenue. Community awareness is key to a successful partnership with federal agencies and building trust between our governments.\u201d<\/p>\n
The legislator also added that she believes that community participation and input is crucial to ensure federal proposals are beneficial to the local community, which, according to her, NEPA provides.<\/p>\n
Babauta is inviting the community to participate. To register for the free webinar, visit https:\/\/www.eventbrite.com\/e\/nepa-environmental-justice-in-nepa-webinar-for-pacific-islanders-tickets-167512882541.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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