The FAA has informed government officials in Majuro that they must find a method of dredging that is less destructive of the coral reef than what is currently planned, said officials who asked not to be named.
Although initial site work on the largest construction project in Marshall Islands history started in May, work has now halted. This has resulted from last minute objections issued by College of the Marshall Islands marine science professor Dr. Dean Jacobson that the planed dragline dredging needed to provide fill material will damage a thriving coral reef that runs parallel to the airport runway.
Officially, the Marshall Islands Ports Authority, contractor Pacific International, the Marshall Islands Environmental Protection Authority, and the FAA have declined to respond to questions about the status of the project — suggesting the difficulty these agencies are having resolving the situation.
On Tuesday, President Jurelang Zedkaia sent a letter to Deborah Barker-Manase, General Manager of the RMI EPA, telling her to “prioritize the Runway Safety Road Realignment Project” and to approve a fill borrow site “that the project proponent, RMI Ports Authority, deems the most feasible without any further delay.”
EPA, which green-lighted the project with a permit in April, is now reportedly holding discussions with Ports Authority to look at possible alternatives to the dredging planned. But there reportedly has been limited progress in gaining agreement on alternative dredge options between Ports Authority and the EPA.
