The total funding provided:
• American Samoa $600,000;
• CNMI $500,00; and
• Guam $900,000.
“The effective deployment of alternative, renewable and energy efficiency initiatives throughout the insular areas is vital to the sustainability of our islands. Despite our shrinking resources, I commend the leadership of each island for recognizing this as a priority and allowing our response to the energy crisis to be a coordinated effort that engages all sectors,” said Assistant Interior Secretary Tony Babauta.
Funding will assist American Samoa Power Authority’s efforts to install energy saver compact fluorescent bulbs that save consumers money on their utility bills while protecting the environment and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
In the CNMI, resources have already been allocated for geothermal gradient drilling and additional support will facilitate the initiation of a geophysical assessment
As one of Guam’s third largest consumers of electricity in the public sector, the University of Guam expects to utilize OIA funds to launch a campaign to aggressively reduce their total monthly energy consumption by 2-5 percent.