“We are dealing with an emergency situation and the governor has declared a state of disaster emergency for CUC through an executive order that is still in effect,” Reyes said, adding that the order allows the government to provide power to the public.
He was asked to comment on Rep. Tina Sablan’s concern regarding the Aggreko units and whether they have complied with the Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean Air requirements.
Sablan has said she is “concerned not only about new compliance issues that may arise for CUC and the CNMI, but also about potential fines for which CUC may be liable in the future.”
Reyes said Sablan should be asked “if she would like us to turn off the Aggreko engines and resume our protracted daily load shedding schedule.”
In an earlier interview with Variety, Aggreko site manager Wayne Lee said they would observe international safety standards.
“We work based on what the customer’s requirement is…we tell the client what we have and what we can provide…our equipment [complies with] European standards,” he said.
CUC Executive Director Antonio S. Muna earlier said that Aggreko would comply with the the applicable regulations.
He could not be reached for comment yesterday but power division acting manager Gary P. Camacho said CUC will clarify today the issue on environmental concerns.
Aggreko is renting its generators to CUC for $6 million a year.
