Monday, 27 October 2008 00:00 By Gemma Q. Casas - Variety News Staff
The Fitial administration is upbeat over the prospect of resuming talks over the CNMI’s submerged lands, but a federal official said it shouldn’t be so optimistic because the issue may be overshadowed by the change of administration in the U.S.
President Bush is leaving the White House on Jan. 20, 2009 —or less than three months from now.
The federal official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the CNMI’s request for a 12-mile jurisdiction over its submerged lands is a sensitive issue that will set a precedent if granted.
Federal courts have ruled that the U.S. owns the CNMI’s submerged lands.
Last Wednesday, Gov. Benigno R. Fitial met with the president’s senior environmental advisor, James Connaughton, who is also the chairman of the White House Council for Environmental Quality.
The governor said their meeting ended on a positive note and he expressed hope that Connaughton will act as his bridge to persuade the White House to consider granting the islands and other insular areas up to 12 miles jurisdiction over their submerged lands.
Connaughton was on Saipan last week on a fact-finding mission amid the Bush administration’s plan to designate as a marine monument up to 115,000 square miles of waters around the three uninhabited northern islands — Uracas, Maug and Asuncion.
Bush is expected to act on the proposal before his term ends.
Local officials, however, are strongly opposed to the project amid fears it may result to a restriction of access to their ancestral marine heritage.
A strongly worded four-page letter that the governor, Senate President Pete P. Reyes and Speaker Arnold I. Palacios co-signed was distributed to the local media on Thursday.
The administration and the Legislature, however, said that letter was withdrawn and wasn’t supposed to be released to the public.
“I do not believe Mr. Connaughton ever read the letter, however, because Governor Fitial decided to withdraw it. I believe this was done in the spirit of cooperation that was forged at our very productive meeting on Wednesday. To my knowledge, most of the copies were collected, to be destroyed. I myself collected a number of them,” said Reyes in a statement.
But the Senate president said though they have softened their stance on the marine monument issue, they stand firm that it shouldn’t be rushed because so much is at stake.
“In essence, [the letter] stated that if the [Bush] administration was attempting to rush a designation on the people of the CNMI without meaningful discussion of our concerns and attention paid to our submerged lands issues, we would like to have no part in the designation and would prefer that the designation not occur,” he said.
“We are willing to discuss these important issues and are willing to make them a priority. We hope we can find a common ground,” he added.
Showing posts with label Submerged Lands. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Submerged Lands. Show all posts
Monday, October 27, 2008
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Monument bid rekindles submerged lands issue
Wednesday, 22 October 2008 00:00 By Emmanuel T. Erediano - Variety News Staff
THE controversial marine monument proposal has reminded indigenous residents about the issue of the CNMI’s submerged lands which the federal court says belongs to the U.S. government.
Independent congressional delegate candidate Juan T. Lizama believes that the CNMI “can still seek redress from the U.S. Congress and regain some of our submerged lands.”
The retired judge said he also hopes that the marine monument supporters agree that the submerged lands issue must be settled in U.S. Congress first before any decision on the monument proposal is made.
He said the Pew Group’s monument campaign has “touched many unresolved questions concerning the CNMI’s rights over our submerged lands and exclusive economic zone.”
Lizama said the federal court has already decided that the CNMI lost ownership of its submerged lands when its Covenant with the U.S. was ratified by local voters and enacted into law by the federal government.
But, he added, the CNMI congressional delegate can urge Washington, D.C. to revisit the submerged lands issue.
Lizama noted the mistrust generated by “what seems to be an undue haste in pushing the marine monument before the people of the CNMI are comfortable with it.”
James L. Connaughton, chairman of White House Council on Environmental Quality, told lawmakers on Monday that the federal government is very aware of the CNMI submerged lands issue.
Lizama said if he is elected delegate, he would immediately request the U.S. president and Congress not to take action on the marine monument until the issues on the CNMI’s submerged lands and exclusive economic zones are resolved.
“I would then work with Congress to resolve the CNMI’s submerged lands issue and simultaneously negotiate the details of our economic zone,” he said. “After we have completed those issues, I would then work with Pew to help establish marine monument to preserve our islands’ beauty, native species and our culture for future generations. We must jointly be involved in the process.”
He noted that some delegate candidates are promising to “deliver the moon.”
“But we must be realistic,” he said. “It will take a few years of building strong relationships and fostering trust in Congress and the federal agencies to make our issues understood, appreciated, and translated into a larger economic zone.”
THE controversial marine monument proposal has reminded indigenous residents about the issue of the CNMI’s submerged lands which the federal court says belongs to the U.S. government.
Independent congressional delegate candidate Juan T. Lizama believes that the CNMI “can still seek redress from the U.S. Congress and regain some of our submerged lands.”
The retired judge said he also hopes that the marine monument supporters agree that the submerged lands issue must be settled in U.S. Congress first before any decision on the monument proposal is made.
He said the Pew Group’s monument campaign has “touched many unresolved questions concerning the CNMI’s rights over our submerged lands and exclusive economic zone.”
Lizama said the federal court has already decided that the CNMI lost ownership of its submerged lands when its Covenant with the U.S. was ratified by local voters and enacted into law by the federal government.
But, he added, the CNMI congressional delegate can urge Washington, D.C. to revisit the submerged lands issue.
Lizama noted the mistrust generated by “what seems to be an undue haste in pushing the marine monument before the people of the CNMI are comfortable with it.”
James L. Connaughton, chairman of White House Council on Environmental Quality, told lawmakers on Monday that the federal government is very aware of the CNMI submerged lands issue.
Lizama said if he is elected delegate, he would immediately request the U.S. president and Congress not to take action on the marine monument until the issues on the CNMI’s submerged lands and exclusive economic zones are resolved.
“I would then work with Congress to resolve the CNMI’s submerged lands issue and simultaneously negotiate the details of our economic zone,” he said. “After we have completed those issues, I would then work with Pew to help establish marine monument to preserve our islands’ beauty, native species and our culture for future generations. We must jointly be involved in the process.”
He noted that some delegate candidates are promising to “deliver the moon.”
“But we must be realistic,” he said. “It will take a few years of building strong relationships and fostering trust in Congress and the federal agencies to make our issues understood, appreciated, and translated into a larger economic zone.”
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