“Because the CNMI government is only spending 32¢ of every CIP dollar that Congress appropriates, we are in danger of seeing our infrastructure money go to Guam or American Samoa, which have a much better track record. Guam is spending 53¢ and American Samoa is spending 56¢ for every CIP dollar,” Sablan said.
He added, “Other issues I raised with Interior Secretary Ken Salazar and representatives of the Office of Insular Affairs and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service were the lack of funding to support the Marianas Trench Marine National Monument and continuing restrictions on families who want to build modest homesteads but can’t because of Fish and Wildlife regulations. Secretary Salazar assured me that his department is working on these issues and will continue to ‘honor the partnership and historic relationship we have with the Mariana Islands.’ ”
You can watch the hearings at http://naturalresources.house.gov/live and see the Department’s entire fiscal 2012 budget proposal at http://www.doi.gov/budget/.
