“Our homeland’s natural resources and proximity give us a unique competitive advantage with excellent options for training and support services which eventually will lead to employment for our people and the much needed economic revenues,” he added.
But the local government must also ensure that the CNMI is prepared to meet the demands of the military, he said.
According to Cruz, the CNMI must retrieve the pozzolan on Pagan before the military uses it for exercises.
He said the government must also look into the effects on aquatic resources of the military exercises on Farallon De Medinilla.
In an e-mail, Press Secretary Charles P. Reyes Jr. said the CNMI is exploring all opportunities it could get from the military buildup which he believes will help the tourism industry, the Tinian gaming industry and the emerging Rota gaming industry.
The buildup will also have possible adverse environmental impacts, but Reyes said the CNMI government will work with its federal partners to minimize any adverse effects.
The Department of Commerce on Monday presented the draft of the CNMI’s plan titled “A Strategic Approach: Utilizing CNMI’s Natural Resources to Provide Complementary Support to Guam DOD.”
DOD stands for the Department of Defense.
Project Management Operations LLC prepared the draft.
