(Press Release) — The Office of Rep. Sheila J. Babauta would like to inform the public that the deadline to submit comments to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers concerning a former military hospital site in Talofofo is on Tuesday, July 21, 2021 CHST.
During World War II, the site (located within Kingfisher Golf Links) was used as a military hospital, but has since been abandoned. A few times the USACE has performed investigations of the site to find it littered with physical debris (beakers, petri dishes, etc.) as well as toxic chemical substances (arsenic, mercury, crude oil contamination, etc). Federal law (see CERCLA) demands that federal agencies perform such investigations and provide enough time for impacted communities to comment on proposed actions.
In this case, the USACE proposes that “No Action” is needed for the Talofofo dump site.
Representative Babauta’s office has already submitted comments to the USACE expressing concerns over leaving such physical debris and toxic substances unmanaged and that the “No Action” proposal be overturned. Other non-profit organizations such as Our Common Wealth 670 have also submitted comments expressing similar concerns. Additionally, the Office believes that the USACE community outreach was not sufficient to ensure government representatives and the local community were aware of the proposal. Therefore, a request to extend the deadline was strongly recommended.
As a representative of Precinct 4, which includes Talofofo, Babauta wants to keep the community informed and encourages participation by providing public comments. By proposing “No Action,” the USACE is deciding that the physical debris and toxic substances are an acceptable risk, she said. “Thus, unless the local CNMI government takes action, those harmful substances will remain there indefinitely. This is not acceptable. Talofofo is an area where our community members live, farm, fish, hike and enjoy the natural beauty of our CNMI. We must voice our concerns and demand that ‘Action’ be taken,” Babauta said.
The deadline for the comment period is July 21, 2021 CHST. Rep. Sheila Babauta’s office will continue following up with USACE and the project manager, Lori Wong. Babauta’s office encourages CNMI residents, especially those in Talofofo to comment on these plans.
For more information, email [email protected] or call 287-8151.
Sheila Babauta
