Rep. Diego T. Benavente, R-Saipan, said the local fishing community is against the new buffer zone because fish are abundant in the restricted area and the proposal will definitely impact their means of livelihood.
Benavente said local fishermen and other residents should take advantage of the scheduled public hearing tonight at 7 p.m. at the multi-purpose center in Susupe to let their voices be heard.
“I am encouraging our residents to participate in the public hearing for the proposed Mariana Islands Range Complex,” he told the Variety.
The U.S. military will also hold a public hearing tomorrow at Tinian Elementary School and on the 26th at Sinapalo Elementary School in connection with the Draft Environmental Impact Statement/Overseas Environmental Impact Statement Mariana Islands Range Complex Executive Summary.
All public hearings begin at 7 p.m. and include an open-house information session which starts at 5 p.m.
According to documents submitted to the House by the U.S. Department of the Navy, the buffer zone within FDM, a tiny northernmost uninhabited island of the CNMI, will be widened for safety reasons.
Live-fire drill exercises within the FDM are projected to increase once the MIRC is operational.
The U.S. has been using the FDM as a bombing range since 1976.
Currently, no commercial or any other private vessels are allowed to enter the 3-nautical mile buffer zone within the FDM.
Once the MIRC is approved, this will be increased permanently up to 10 or even up to 30 nautical miles, depending on military activities in the area.
“As usage of FDM increases under implementation of either Alternative 1 or Alternative 2, a permanent safety danger zone and restricted area would be established to restrict all private and commercial vessels from entering the area to minimize danger from the hazardous activity in the area,” a military draft report reads.
“Development of a 10-nm permanent danger zone and restricted area would be an established restriction supplemented by temporary advisory notices as required for training events needing a temporary extension of the safety zone from 10-nm to 30-nm,” it added.
The U.S. will relocate more than 8,000 troops and their dependents in Okinawa, Japan to Guam from 2010.
The troops will use the MIRC for regular aerial, land and naval training exercises.
