“Once again, I am very grateful to Chairman Nick J. Rahall for putting my Visitor Center bill on the committee’s agenda for today,” said Sablan. “And I appreciate the support of members on both sides of the aisle for this project, which will help fulfill the promises made by the President Bush to Governor Fitial, when the terms of the Monument designation were under discussion in 2008.”
Gov. Benigno R. Fitial said in testimony before the House Subcommittee on Insular affairs, Oceans and Wildlife in February that his support of the Monument designation came only after the Bush White House committed to constructing a visitor and science center in the Northern Marianas.
The presidential proclamation that created the 95,000 square mile Monument does state that that the Monument is to be managed “to promote monument-related scientific exploration and research, tourism, and recreational and economic activities and opportunities in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.”
H.R. 3511 authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to construct a multipurpose visitor facility in the Northern Mariana Islands for the interpretation and public education and for enjoyment of the marine environment within the boundaries of the Marine National Monument.
Rep. Henry Brown, R-S.C., did offer an amendment, which was adopted without dissent, deleting a section that Republicans viewed as an earmarked appropriation.
Sablan said that in his view, and in the view of the committee counsel and the legislative counsel, who drafted the bill, the simple act of authorizing the construction of the visitors center means that Congress is also authorizing the funds needed to construct it.
“Authorization to fund is implicit in the bill,” said Sablan. “The Republican amendment did nothing at all to change the intent and purpose of the bill, which is to authorize the construction of the visitors center.”
Separately, Sablan has already submitted an request for a $1 million earmark for the Visitor Center to the House Appropriations Committee for inclusion in an fiscal year 2011 funding bill. That request is not affected the Brown amendment.
Sablan has also already secured grant funds for the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Association to scope potential sites for the visitor center. The $220,000 grant was included in the FY ‘10 appropriation for NOAA.
