The Commonwealth Port Authority has recently adopted a new policy which aims to completely deter the agency from emitting greenhouse gasses by year 2050.\u00a0<\/p>\n
During a CPA board meeting on Rota last Thursday, CPA board members unanimously voted to adopt a new environmental policy that has been in the works for sometime with the ultimate goal of ensuring CPA no longer emits greenhouse gasses into the CNMI environment by year 2050.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Greenhouse gasses include carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxides, etc., which trap heat in the earth\u2019s atmosphere resulting in climate change.\u00a0<\/p>\n
So, CPA\u2019s new environmental policy seeks to address the threats created by climate change and the continued dependence on fossil fuels.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThe primary aim of this Environmental Policy is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through the implementation of strategies that enhance energy efficiency, reduce CPA\u2019s impact on the climate, and utilize renewable resources for the benefit of the CNMI\u2019s natural environment and for the wellbeing of all current and future CNMI citizens. This environmental policy commits CPA to achieving adequate environmental management and fostering sustainable development through the port\u2019s operations and processes. This policy sets a goal of achieving net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, which aligns with goals set by the Biden administration,\u201d the new policy states.\u00a0<\/p>\n
In a brief statement from CPA chair Kimberlyn King-Hinds, she said it is important for CPA to implement policies such as these to aid in the fight against climate change as CPA\u2019s six ports are the economic lifelines for this Commonwealth.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cClimate change is real. No one knows how to solve the problem without having unintended consequences and the best we can do is do our part. This is important to all of us at CPA. \u00a0 That\u2019s why we are making it a part of how we do business. We also hope to realize some savings from policies and procedures that make us less reliant on non-green energy sources,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cSince I\u2019ve been chair, I\u2019ve been doing nothing but recovering from typhoons; from Mangkut to Soudelor to Yutu. I wasn\u2019t chair through all those typhoons but we are still recovering from all of them; whether it be at the airports or seaports. CPA feels the brunt of these storms and we, as an agency, cannot shut down. \u00a0 It\u2019s not just about the economy. \u00a0 It\u2019s also about our people\u2019s access to emergency medical treatment, or to just simply be with family, especially during their time of need,\u201d King-Hinds added.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The policy has since been in effect for CPA.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Pursuant to this new policy, CPA will conduct regular assessments of the activities, products, and services used at its airports and seaports to determine those items\u2019 impact on the environment.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThese regular assessments should occur at least once every five years. The purpose of the assessment is to identify the best opportunities for improving CPA\u2019s environmental footprint. These opportunities include, but are not limited to, measures to prevent and minimize emissions and the development and implementation of alternative energy sources,\u201d the policy states.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Commonwealth Port Authority has recently adopted a new policy which aims to completely deter…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":376381,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[124],"class_list":["post-376379","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-local-news","tag-cpa"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/376379","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=376379"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/376379\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/376381"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=376379"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=376379"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=376379"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}