DPL’s Planning Division Director Patricia S. Rasa and Homestead Division Director Manuel M. Rabauliman will attend the First Formerly Used Defense Sites National Forum in Chicago, Illinois from May 24 to 26.
Their period of travel will be up to May 29. They will spend $2,507 each for airfare and $60 each for ground travel.
Real Estate Division Director Rachel M. Roque and acting Brownfields Manager Mario C. Cepeda will take a trip to Honolulu, Hawaii to attend the Pacific Islands Brownfields Response Team and 11th Annual Hawaii Build and Buy Green Brownfield Redevelopment Forum that will be held there from May 23 to 25.
Their period of travel will be up to May 27. Each of them is expected to spend $2,281 for airfare and $60 for ground travel.
Gov. Benigno R. Fitial has yet to concur with their travel authorizations.
DPL Secretary Oscar M. Babauta, in an interview, said these are annual meetings that address critical issues involving public lands in the commonwealth.
He said it is very vital for DPL to send representatives to those meetings which, he added, will enhance the department’s ability to tap important federal projects.
DPL is a recipient of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Brownfields cleanup grant.
Press Secretary Angel A. Demapan, in a separate interview, said DPL is charged with overseeing public lands for the benefit of the commonwealth.
The two meetings that the four officials will attend are of “utmost importance to the goals and objectives of DPL,” he added.
The Department of Defense, the U.S. EPA, the states and federal land management agencies reactivated the Formerly Used Defense Sites Forum in Feb. 2010 to enhance communication and coordination among them, he said.
The meeting, he added, is the culmination of months of planning and represents an all-inclusive effort to encourage participation from all levels of the participating organizations and agencies.
Reimbursement
Demapan said the costs for two participants per state to attend the meeting are eligible for reimbursement under the Defense and State Memorandum of Agreement.
The Honolulu forum, for its part, will provide a unique opportunity to participants to learn about cutting-edge initiatives and technology for building sustainable communities, he added.
In particular, he said, the event will focus on green buildings, renewable energy, green workforce development, and redeveloping contaminated property.
Demapan noted that DPL does not draw any funds from the general fund. It is fully funded by revenues the agency generates through public land leases, he added.
