Our people collected over 6,000 signatures in support of a no-take marine protected area and looked forward to the educational, research, and economic development opportunities a monument promised.
Our people believed then, as they believe now, that a Marianas Trench Visitors Center and Headquarters in the CNMI would give a much-needed boost to our ailing tourism industry. It would also serve as an educational tool to help educate our residents and tourists alike on the geological and biological wonders of the Mariana Islands and our surrounding marine environment.
The Northern Mariana Islands Democratic Party is in support of a Mariana Trench Visitors Center and Headquarters being built in the CNMI, not on Guam. Our directors request that you pull H.R. 4493 from consideration by the Subcommittee on Insular Affairs, Oceans, and Wildlife.
JESSE TORRES
Chair
NMI Democratic Party
