{"id":390869,"date":"2023-05-04T06:06:34","date_gmt":"2023-05-03T20:06:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/?p=390869"},"modified":"2023-05-04T06:06:34","modified_gmt":"2023-05-03T20:06:34","slug":"us-coast-guard-backs-cpa-request-for-addl-funding","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/us-coast-guard-backs-cpa-request-for-addl-funding\/","title":{"rendered":"US Coast Guard backs CPA request for add\u2019l funding"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The U.S Coast Guard Forces Micronesia \u2013 Sector Guam has written to the U.S Department of Transportation to support the Commonwealth Ports Authority\u2019s recent request for supplemental funding to keep the agency afloat until fiscal year 2026.<\/p>\n

Capt. Nicholas Simmons, commander of U.S. Coast Guard Forces Micronesia \u2013 Sector Guam, has personally written to U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg to support CPA and its request for funding to continue operating the CNMI\u2019s ports of entry.<\/p>\n

CPA is asking the U.S. DOT for a total of $30 million in supplemental funding\u2014$15 million for fiscal year 2024 and $15 million for fiscal year 2025. CPA believes this amount will keep the CNMI\u2019s ports in operation until fiscal year 2026.<\/p>\n

Simmons stated in his letter that the maritime transportation system facilities within CPA remain the only cost-effective means of importing critical food, medical supplies, equipment, and other essential goods to the islands.<\/p>\n

\u201cContinuous unimpeded port operations to facilitate the flow of commerce is critical not only to the island communities the ports serve, but is equally important to sustaining the markedly increased Department of Defense footprint within the greater Marianas chain. Given the stark fiscal projections affecting the airports within the CPA, it is merely a matter of time before any reprogramming of the CNMI government\u2019s operational funds begin to impact the seaports. As the Captain of the Port for both CNMI and Guam, I have grave concerns regarding potential port funding reductions and the subsequent cascading effects this could have within our area of responsibility,\u201d he said. \u201cRecognizing CNMI\u2019s strategic importance, not only to national security interests, but also to the efficiency of the national supply chain and its U.S. carriers operating in the Pacific, I am reiterating my full support of CPA\u2019s effort and look forward to your agency\u2019s positive response.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gen. Kenneth Wilsbach of the U.S. Air Force, commander of the Pacific Air Forces, has also written in support of CPA\u2019s need for funding.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am very interested in preserving the viability of air and seaports across [the] CNMI, and I\u2019m deeply concerned about the economic trends outlined in your letter to Secretary Buttigieg.\u00a0 As Pacific Air Forces commander, I have consistently advocated for increased investment in CNMI ports, and I\u2019m excited about the many ongoing projects across this vital region,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Currently, PACAF has $444 million of on-going Investment at Tinian International Airport.<\/p>\n

Additionally, PACAF is continuing to partner with the CPA on potential near-term investments at the Tinian North Field, Francisco C. Ada\/Saipan International Airport, and Rota International Airport.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile these investments might not directly address some of the concerns in your letter, I think PACAF\u2019s investments will rebuild some of the infrastructure damaged by Super Typhoon Yutu, increase overall operational capacity, generate jobs and revenue for the local communities, and ultimately posture CNMI for future increases in tourism. PACAF will continue to work with the CPA to shape investments across CNMI, and I will continue to advocate to preserve the operational viability of your ports through INDOPACOM and Air Force-channels,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The U.S Coast Guard Forces Micronesia \u2013 Sector Guam has written to the U.S Department…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":390871,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[124],"class_list":["post-390869","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\/390869","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=390869"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/390869\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/390871"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=390869"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=390869"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=390869"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}