By Moneth G. Deposa
Variety News Staff

THE government has $47 million in unused money for federally funded capital improvement projects for fiscal years 2003-2006, according to the data obtained by Variety.
Every year, the federal government appropriates $11 million in CIP funds for the CNMI.
Vice speaker Justo S. Quitugua, D-Saipan, said the administration should get these projects moving which, he added, will help revive the local economy.
In FYs 2003-2006, the CNMI received $209.8 million in CIP monies distributed to Saipan, Tinian and Rota.
Saipan got the highest appropriation with $133 million. It had a balance of $25,321 as of Dec. 31 last year.
$107.7 million was obligated to various Saipan projects.
In FYs 1996-2002, $92.4 million was appropriated for various projects on Saipan which included the construction of the new Department of Public Health building and dialysis center, $8.2 million; road pavement and drainage improvements, $1 million; the new adult prison, $1.7 million; and tourism revitalization projects, $4 million.
$4.1 million was spent on drainage and road projects in FY 2003.
In FY 2004, the Puerto Rico dump closure received $2.4 million while the Garapan drainage project got $1 million.
In the same fiscal year, five big projects worth $8.4 million were started: American Memorial Park, $1.2 million; Garapan revitalization phase III, $500,000; Puerto Rico dump, $1 million; Saipan water projects, $5.2 million; Santa Lourdes road improvement, $500,000.
In FYs 2005-2006, more than $25 million was obligated to various projects on Saipan.
Of the $209.8 million in CIP funding, $36.9 million was appropriated for Rota of which only $28.2 million has been used since 2003.
The fund balance for Rota amounts to $8.7 million.
Tinian received $39.8 million in CIP money of which only $26.8 million was obligated. It still has a balance of $12.9 million
“(The U.S. Department of the Interior’s Office of Insular Affairs) needs a clear plan on how these amounts will be used…so the expenditure authorities of these projects should be aggressive in packaging what is needed for the approval of OIA,” Quitugua said.
“Because it’s federal money, even if the CNMI places it in the bank for a long time…the interest will not go the commonwealth,” he added.